Meant To Be
by Wildebeast
Summary: An alternative storyline to how the series began.
1. Default Chapter

MEANT TO BE  
  
By Michael Hanna (Wildebeast) and Anthony Smith (Rgent9)  
  
For three years of the television show, Ed, the title character Ed Stevens pursued his high school dream girl, Carol Vessey. At the end of season three, they were finally brought together.  
  
But what if Ed hadn't lost his job at Farmer & Sheehan in New York City even though he did find his wife Liz in bed with the mailman. If Ed never returned to Stuckeyville, what would have happened to the relationship with Carol? Would it never have happened, or was it meant to be..  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer & Sheehan  
  
December 11, 2000  
  
7:30 PM  
  
Ed Stevens looked up from the pile of legal-work on his desk and sighed. It was amazing. No, it was *really* amazing how much his life had changed in the last few months. His seven year marriage to Liz was over. He'd come home early one afternoon and found her in bed with a mailman. Not THE mailman, he mentally corrected, just someone who happened to be a mailman. He took some small comfort in that distinction. After all, coming home to find your wife cheating on you was bad enough. Coming home to find your wife cheating on you with fifty-five year old Murray Abramson with his bad comb-over and his knobby-knees ...  
  
Well THAT would have been just TOO much.  
  
He suppressed a chuckle at the mental image his thoughts had conjured and turned his attention back to the papers on his desk. He stared at them for several minutes, then looked up and surveyed his office.  
  
The office that he almost didn't get. For as it happened, on the day that he had come home to find his wife in bed with another man, Edward J. Stevens had nearly lost his job at Farmer & Sheehan. He'd misplaced a comma in a contract he'd drafted. On the surface, such a simple error didn't sound so terrible. Unfortunately, due to the wording of the contract if it hadn't been caught, that little punctuation error would have cost Farmer & Sheehan millions of dollars. And Ed knew that even though the managing partners had been very pleased with his work up to that point, that they would have had no choice but to fire him on the spot.  
  
Fortunately however, fate - in the form of Ed's associate and occasional racquetball partner, Jerry Pender - had intervened and Ed's mistake corrected before the final drafts were submitted for signatures. So, instead of being summarily dismissed for gross incompetence and coming home to find his wife in bed with a mailman, Ed Stevens came home early to tell his wife that his efforts had been rewarded with a corner office, a new secretary and a key to the executive gym on the 40th floor ...  
  
... and *still* found his wife in bed with a mailman.  
  
If it wasn't such a devastating blow to his life, Ed had to admit that he would have laughed at the irony of it all.  
  
He put the contracts down and walked to a nearby window. It was winter in New York City. Two weeks until Christmas, to be exact. The sidewalks and store fronts were all decorated for the upcoming holiday. The streets were clogged with holiday shoppers scrambling from store to store to make their next purchases. From his vantage point on the 33rd floor, Ed watched the slow crawl of automobiles on the expressway, imagining the insane mix of holiday greetings and obscenities being exchanged by various drivers.  
  
Ah, New York City in Christmas-time.  
  
Ed had always liked this time of year. There was something about the holidays, about spending time with family and loved ones and remembering what really mattered in life, that appealed to him. But this year would be different, this would be his first year without Liz.  
  
His first year spending Christmas alone.  
  
Not that he'd had to spend the holidays alone. He walked over to the collection of photographs on his desk. His mother and father, obviously concerned for him since the divorce, had phoned last week and asked - no, DEMANDED - that he come down to Florida to spend Christmas with them. His mother had even gone so far as to enlist Ed's brother Lloyd in the attempt. However, in spite of the pernicious onslaught of nagging and cajolery - Lloyd's particularly specialty - Ed had held to his stated desire of staying in New York.  
  
It wasn't that he didn't want to see his parents in Florida. Quite the contrary, it was that he knew what was going to happen once he got there. His parents would waste no time in starting in on him about how proud they were of their son, the successful New York Lawyer.  
  
Except that he didn't feel very "successful" at the moment. Sure, he had the trappings of success - a high-paying job at a prestigious law firm, a nice apartment in an upscale part of town, and even a brand new car. But, he was thirty-one years old, divorced. He had no children. No one to spend his life with.  
  
How could THAT be called "successful"?  
  
He walked back to the window, leaning forward until his forehead touched the cold plexiglass. Going home for Christmas to see his parents was crazy, but it wasn't the craziest idea he'd had since the breakup with Liz. No, that particular honor belonged to his thought of going back to his old hometown of Stuckeyville. The idea had first come to him when, on a whim, he was looking through his old high school yearbook. He laughed, remembering the picture of his best friend Mike Burton - now Dr. Michael Burton - with his shirt collar turned up and that awful 80's haircut. He remembered paging through the faculty section and seeing the photos of his old teachers, Mr. Roarke for Biology, and Mr. Stanton for English.  
  
And then, for a reason he still didn't quite understand, he turned the pages until he saw her photo - Carol Vessey, the girl he'd had a crush on since ... well since he was old enough to have crushes on girls. He remembered the day he first saw her. It was in ninth grade, Mr. Roarke's biology class. He had looked across the room and she was just standing there - pouring water into a test tube. He even remembered what she had wore - a blue shirt with white crisscross strings down the side. She was so beautiful - she took his breath away. In four years, he had never worked up the courage to talk to her. She was high school royalty - homecoming queen, cheerleader. The most beautiful and popular girl in school. She only dated football players. And he? He was ... He was nobody, really. Not popular. Not unpopular. It was just that he and his friends lived under the radar of the high school elite like Carol Vessey.  
  
Ed remembered how he had just sat in his apartment and stared at that picture, for what seemed like an eternity. And he remembered how he, obviously in a state of mild insanity, had almost booked a flight back to Ohio with the sole purpose in mind of finding one Carol Vessey, and asking her out. Fortunately, he had come to his senses.  
  
Although, now that he thought about it again, it would have been nice to see Mike and his wife Nancy. Ed hadn't seen them since the birth of their daughter, Sarah. And he couldn't help but think that even without the possibility of running into Carol Vessey - who he realized was probably married by now - it would have been nice to go back home for a visit. Bowl a few games at Stuckeybowl. Eat a few Suzeechios. Maybe stop in and see old Mr. Kiffle at the shoe store.  
  
And if he should happen to run into Carol, well ...  
  
Maybe he *could* get away this summer. Just for a few days. Maybe - if the managing partners haven't promoted him and dumped enough work for FIVE attorneys in his lap, that is. Of course, it wasn't entirely the managing partners fault, Ed had welcomed the extra work. It was an excuse to avoid thinking about his divorce from Liz.  
  
He walked back over to his desk and sat down. For the last two weeks, he'd been working late trying to get these latest contracts drafted in time for Friday's meeting. He had to get back to work.  
  
***  
  
Ed had spent another half hour working on the contracts when a voice from across the office startled him.  
  
"Burning the midnight oil AGAIN, boss? I thought we'd talked about that last week?" Ed looked up to see his secretary, Deloris, standing in the doorway to his office. Deloris was in her early 50s and had only been with Farmer & Sheehan a few months - just since Ed had gotten the promotion. But the two had quickly formed a comfortable working relationship. When she wasn't trying to "mother" him, that is.  
  
"I'm just doing some last minute revisions on the Henderson contracts," Ed offered, before remembering that he was the boss in this situation. "What are you still doing here anyway? I thought you had plans tonight?" he said with a knowing grin.  
  
"Irving called an hour ago to say that traffic on the bridge was a real mess, so he'd be running a little late."  
  
Ed nodded. Irving was Deloris' husband. He worked as a loading dock supervisor in New Jersey. The plans he'd mentioned earlier were dinner reservations to celebrate their thirty-fifth anniversary.  
  
"Hopefully the restaurant hasn't given our reservations away, even though we're already a half-hour late." She tried to smile, "And I've been meaning to tell you that I appreciated the flowers this afternoon."  
  
"Wedding anniversaries don't happen everyday, Deloris. Occasions like that require .... no, they DEMAND recognition." Ed smiled and stretched back in his chair.  
  
Deloris looked at him questioningly, "Well, I wasn't expecting something like that, considering ... " she looked over at the collection of photos on Ed's desk. More specifically to the space, now empty, where Ed had kept Liz's photo.  
  
Ed sighed, "Thanks, Deloris. I appreciate that, but I'm okay. Really."  
  
Deloris looked at Ed, then said, "You know it would do you a world of good, to get out once in a while. Why don't you come out to dinner with us tonight? My niece Frankie is going to meet us at the restaurant. I think you two would get along wonderfully. She's a lawyer, too. Just graduated from law school."  
  
"No, I don't think so, Deloris. I've got a lot of work still to do tonight. And besides, I'd be intruding..."  
  
"You *wouldn't* be intruding ..."  
  
"Yes, I would. Besides didn't you mention that Frankie already had a boyfriend? Leo or Lionel or something like that."  
  
"Leon," Deloris corrected.  
  
"Okay. Leon."  
  
"But I don't think they make a good pair. She's always breaking up with him over the most trivial things."  
  
"Thanks Deloris, but no. I'm sure Frankie is a very nice girl. After all she's your niece - your favorite niece, given how much you talk about her. But I really do feel that I'd be in the way tonight. Besides, I'm due in court tomorrow and I need to finish this brief." He was interrupted by the ring of Deloris' phone. "Now you better get going I'm sure that's Irving calling to tell you that he's downstairs waiting."  
  
Deloris walked over and answered her phone. As Ed suspected it was Irving, then she turned to get her coat. She was about to head for the elevators when she stopped and looked back toward Ed's office ...  
  
"I said NO, Deloris."  
  
"But I haven't asked you yet?"  
  
"You were thinking about it," Ed smiled. "Now don't make me pull rank."  
  
"Okay ..., but I haven't given up on you yet."  
  
Ed chuckled. "Get out of here. Have a nice dinner and I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"You'll probably be here before me - as usual." Deloris said with a sad smile, and walked toward the bank of elevators just outside Farmer and Sheehan's offices.  
  
Ed sighed again, and sat down, he resumed work on the stack of contracts. After a few moments, he stopped, a quizzical look appeared on his face, and he began to smile. He got up and walked back into the outer office, and over to Deloris' desk. Looking at her desk calendar, he found the notation for this evening on the calendar: '8:00 PM, dinner with Irving and Frankie, Tad's.'  
  
Ed picked up the phone and dialed a number. After two rings, a voice answered, "Good evening, thank you for calling Tad's. This is Charles, how may I help you?"  
  
"Yes, may I speak to Philip Croft, please?" Ed asked.  
  
"Hold one moment, please," the voice said.  
  
After a moment a second voice started on the phone, "Hello, this is Philip. May I help you?"  
  
"Phil," Ed said, "Hi, Ed Stevens over at Farmer & Sheehan."  
  
"Mr. Stevens," Phil said warmly, but formally. "How are you tonight?"  
  
"Good, Phil," Ed replied. "Good. Look, can you do me a favor?"  
  
"Of course, Mr. Stevens," Phil said. "We are always at the disposal of Farmer & Sheehan's rising star. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Well," Ed said, "my secretary has dinner reservations there tonight. It's for her 35th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately due to the traffic, she's already about 45 minutes late for it and probably won't be there for another 15 minutes. Can you make sure she gets a table as soon as she gets there? A nice table?"  
  
"Absolutely, Mr. Stevens," Philip replied, "I'll call the maitre'd right away. Consider it done."  
  
"Good. Great, their last name is Hector." Ed added. "Oh, and put their meal on my tab, okay?"  
  
"Done," Philip said. "So, when is the next time we'll be seeing YOU here?"  
  
"Not sure, hopefully soon."  
  
"Very good sir," Philip said, "I'll talk to you soon."  
  
"Thanks again." Ed replied then hung up the phone. He smiled, he could always rely on Phil to come through in a pinch. 


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Carol Vessey  
  
December 13, 2000  
  
2:30 PM  
  
Molly Hudson sat on the corner of the bed and watched her best friend, Carol Vessey, pack for her trip to New York. Carol's decision to leave town had come on the heels of the end of her seven year relationship with Nick Stanton, and Molly was concerned for her friend. Carol, dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater, was too focused on finishing packing her second suitcase to notice the concern on Molly's face.  
  
Another suitcase, which Carol had just finished packing, stood by the bedroom door.  
  
Sensing that her friend wasn't going to volunteer anything on her own, Molly turned to Carol and said, "Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, it's the middle of the school year. It's the middle of winter, and it's ..."  
  
Carol looked at her friend, "It's *what*, Molls?"  
  
"... It's only been a few weeks since you and Nick split up."  
  
"Molly," Carol started, then stopped. She sighed and continued to fold some clothes and put them into the suitcase. "This had nothing to do with Nick - at least not directly. I have to meet with my new publishing agent."  
  
"About that, why do you need a NEW publishing agent, didn't you have one already lined up?"  
  
Carol looked up from her packing, "I already told you. He was Nick's old publishing agent. Apparently, when I broke up with Nick, I also broke up with his publishing agent," she stuffed some socks into the suitcase angrily.  
  
"Oh. Are you sure that's all there is too it?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Molly looked at her friend questioningly, "Come on, Carol. You and Nick break up and suddenly you are planning this big trip to New York City. I know that you said that this is about getting back to writing, back to the things that you dreamed about since you were a little girl. It just seems too quick, almost as if."  
  
Carol looked at Molly and said, "'As if' what, Molls?"  
  
Molly took a deep breath, then continued, "As if you are running away from everything."  
  
Carol frowned.  
  
Molly raised her hands and said, "Let me finish, Carol. I completely support your desire to start writing again. And I support your desire to get a new agent lined up. I'm just concerned that you're using all of this to escape Stuckeyville, to escape Nick."  
  
"Molly," Carol said after a pause, "I'm not going to deny that it'd be nice to get away from Stuckeyville for a little while - all of the memories I have of Nick - but I didn't plan this trip BECAUSE of it. Its just ... just a pleasant side effect."  
  
Seeing the doubt on Molly's face, Carol continued, "Look, if I'm going to be a writer - a successful writer - then I am going to need a publishing agent. I pestered Nick for a long time before he set up a meeting with his agent. It was very important to me. Which means it wasn't a high priority for Nick. (Carol stuffs more socks into the suitcase) Although it seems that now that we're not together anymore, he didn't waste any time calling him and telling him not to return my calls."  
  
"What an unbelievable jerk!" Molly exclaimed.  
  
"Molls, I was with that man for SEVEN years."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Can't you come up with something better?"  
  
"How about 'jackass'?"  
  
"Jackass will do nicely." The two then looked at one another and burst out laughing.  
  
"Molly," Carol continued, "I really used up some favors getting this particular agent lined up. I need to meet with them in order to make this work. Going to New York City will also be good for me. I had always planned on traveling the world, picking up ideas, experiencing new and exciting things. This is just a small step." Carol closed the second suitcase.  
  
Molly sighed, "I know. I'm just making sure you're doing this for the right reasons. Besides, I'm going to miss you!"  
  
Carol looked over at Molly. She smiled sadly at her, then hugged her briefly. "I know. I'm going to miss you too."  
  
"I could still come, you know. I can afford a last minute fare."  
  
"No, Molls. You've got all these plans with Jim for the holidays. I don't want to ruin that. Besides, I think I need to do this on my own." With that Carol grabbed the one suitcase, Molly grabbed the other and they headed downstairs in silence.  
  
Halfway down the stairs, Molly stopped, "I must have the IQ of a lima bean. I never even thought of how you're getting to the airport? Do you need a ride?"  
  
Carol smiled again, "Thanks, Molls, but I've got a ride set up. Mike and Nancy said that they would take me. They're going into the city to visit Nancy's parents and the airport's close enough that they said they could drop me off."  
  
There was a knock at the front door. Carol turned to Molly, "Speak of the devils!"  
  
Carol walked over and opened the door. Nancy was waiting on the other side. Her husband, Mike was still standing by the car, but when he saw Carol and Nancy coming out of the door, he rushed over to take the suitcases from them.  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Burton," Carol says with a smile. She waved at Sarah who seemed intent on observing all the goings on, despite being fastened into her car-seat.  
  
Mike smiled back at Carol and Molly, saying "No problem." Then he turned to his wife, "See honey, ONLY TWO suitcases. And she's going to be gone for over a week." By means of a reply, Nancy punched her husband in the arm playfully, "Just load the bags, you big moose!"  
  
Mike got the suitcases situated in the trunk. Then walked around back around the car to where the three women were still talking. "All set?" Mike asked.  
  
"Yep." Carol replied. She looked at Molly and hugged her again.  
  
"You take care, girlfriend," Molly said. "Knock them dead in the Big Apple."  
  
As she hugged her, Carol whispered something in Molly's ear. Molly eyes misted up momentarily, but she managed to maintain her composure.  
  
Mike and Nancy got back into the car, followed by Carol who climbed into the backseat alongside Sarah's car-seat. As she closed the door, Carol glanced around one last time - as if she was taking a mental picture of her home and Stuckeyville to sustain her on the trip. Then, she closed the door behind her and with a wave of her hand and an imperious tone, told Mike "To the airport, driver!"  
  
Nancy laughed while Mike just gave her a look. Molly waved as the car pulled away, "I hope you find what you're looking for, Carol."  
  
***  
  
While Mike drove, Nancy and Carol spent much of the drive chatting and playing quietly with little Sarah.  
  
"So," Nancy asked, "are you all excited about this trip?"  
  
"Yeah," Carol replied, "I am. This is a big step. I've only been to New York once before, so I'm excited AND scared about being there alone - all at the same time."  
  
"Nance says you've got a publishing agent lined up, is that true?" Mike asked.  
  
"Yeah. It's a publishing house called Knight Publishing. They've only been in business a few years, but they've been making a big splash. They've signed a couple of big names recently."  
  
"Wow. That's great, Carol." Nancy added.  
  
Carol lifted up a soft sided briefcase and continued, "I've got their contract in here. I'm going to go over it on the plane. I've looked it over once already, but all this legal mumbo-jumbo is like Greek to me. I'm going to have to read it word for word and figure it out."  
  
"Hmm," Nancy says from her seat.  
  
Mike looked over at his wife suspiciously, "Hmm, *what*, Nance?"  
  
"Well," Nancy said, "I wonder if Eddie could help Carol?"  
  
Mike looked over at Nancy again.  
  
From the back seat, Carol asked, "Ed who?"  
  
"Ed Stevens," Nancy explained. "He went to Stuckeyville High with us. He was best man at our wedding. He's a lawyer in New York, specializes in contract law, in fact. You could look him up. I'm sure he'd want to help."  
  
Carol looked confused and said, a little embarrassed, "I ... I don't remember him."  
  
"That's okay. You know us. He's Mike's best friend. Even if he didn't go to school with you, I'm sure he'd want to help." Nancy rummaged in her purse, finally pulling a business card from her wallet.  
  
"Here's his business card," Nancy said. "Give him a call. Tell him Mike and I sent you. Better, tell him I said to help you ... or ELSE!"  
  
Carol was unsure. It felt weird to walk into the office of some big, New York City lawyer and ask for their help when you couldn't even remember them when you went to high school together.  
  
"Thanks," Carol said, "I'll, uh, think about it."  
  
Mike leaned back, "Go ahead and call him. Ed's a great guy, Carol. Like Nance said, I'm sure he'd be glad to help."  
  
Carol tucked the business card in her purse. She was sure she didn't need it. The contracts were confusing, that was true, but she was sure she could decipher them in time for her meeting.  
  
The rest of the trip passed pleasantly. They made it to the airport in plenty of time for Carol's flight, Mike dropped her off at the terminal and volunteered to carry her luggage all the way to the gate, but Carol told him that she could manage. Nancy and Carol hugged one last time and Nancy wished Carol well in New York. Then while Nancy stayed with Sarah in the car, Mike carried Carol's suitcases as far as the curb side check-in. After checking in, Carol gave Mike a quick hug and thanked him - then walked inside the terminal to find her gate.  
  
Mike returned to the car. He fastened his seatbelt and was about to pull out from the parking space when Nancy asked, "Mike?"  
  
"Yeah, Nance," Mike said.  
  
"Do you think that, maybe," Nancy asked, "Eddie still has that crush on Carol? Maybe I shouldn't have suggested she call him to look over her contract."  
  
"Don't be silly, Nance," Mike said. "That was a high school crush, an infatuation. I can't imagine Ed would still harbor feelings for Carol. Not after all this time. Besides, Carol never even noticed him in high school. You heard her, she doesn't even know who Ed is."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Nancy said. "Plus, I can't see that Eddie would be thinking about dating right now. Not so soon after the divorce."  
  
"Right. There is absolutely no way that Ed Stevens still has a crush on one Carol Vessey." 


	3. Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE  
  
New York City - John F. Kennedy International Airport, Terminal Three  
  
December 13, 2000  
  
6:00 PM  
  
Carol's flight was pleasant enough. The hour and a half flight gave her time to read through the contract twice and she felt fairly confident that there wasn't anything lurking in the fine print.  
  
She navigated through the bustling airport crowds to the baggage claim and got her suitcases. Then she made her way to the taxi line. She walked outside and headed towards the first cab. But just as she got to the lead cab, a man cut in front of her, handed his bag to the waiting driver and said, "Fourth and Commerce, and make it quick."  
  
Carol just stood there, dumbfounded, as the man leapt into the cab as it took off. The man who stole her cab, looked back at her and waved condescendingly. She was still standing there stunned, when she felt a tug on one of her suitcases. Whirling around in fear, Carol found an Indian man, asking "Excuse me, Miss. You need ride?"  
  
'Well,' Carol thought, 'I THINK that's what he said.'  
  
The cab driver's accent was very thick. With a tentative nod, Carol agreed. The cab driver then rushed to take her suitcases from her, throwing them in the trunk of his cab and then rushed around to open the rear passenger side door for her. Carol got into the cab, still feeling a little unsure. The driver entered a moment later.  
  
Then the cab pulled away from the curb with a screech of tires. Carol held onto the door handle for balance. The cabbie, seemingly oblivious to the traffic around him, turned his head to look at her and asked, "Where to, miss?"  
  
"Um," Carol said, fumbling for her itinerary, "the DoubleTree Times Square. At, uh, 1568 Broadway."  
  
The cabbie nodded his head, grinned, and mashed down on the gas pedal, forcing Carol to make yet another desperate grab for the door handle. When she'd sufficiently secured herself, she glanced over at the cab driver's posted information. 'Sirajul,' she thought, 'I wonder if ALL New York Cabbies drive like him?'  
  
The cab barreled down Grand Central Parkway West. Despite the heavy traffic, the posted speed limit and certain laws of physics, the cab driver expertly weaved from lane to lane, accelerating or braking hard as the circumstances dictated. For her part, Carol was already beginning to miss the safe confines of Stuckeyville. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the music from the taxi's radio, but it was a cacophony of Indian music and she couldn't understand the lyrics.  
  
After a harrowing, 15-minute ride, the cab pulled up outside the DoubleTree Hotel. The driver jumped out, ran around to open Carol's door, then dashed to the trunk and pulled out her suitcases. Still somewhat dazed from her experience - which Carol believed was better suited to NASA flight testing than motoring - Carol fumbled for her wallet for several seconds. Eventually she collected herself enough to pay the fare - with a twenty percent gratuity. The cabbie flashed a white-toothed smile at Carol and said, "Thank you and welcome to New York, Miss!" Then he leapt back into the cab and with another screech of tires pulled back into traffic seemingly unconcerned for either his cab or the other vehicles on the street.  
  
Carol took a moment to look around. She stared up - and up - at the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Despite being outside, the enormity of the buildings surrounding her gave her a feeling of claustrophobia. Looking down the street, Carol thought, 'Almost seems like a cattle chute, with the animals off to slaughter.' She paused for a moment, starting to consider a story in which a small town girl travels to the big city. She smiled, feeling like the creative juices may already be working.  
  
Then she smiled again, deciding that she'd have to also have to find a way to fit in a description of a harrowing cab drive from the airport to the hotel into her next book - whatever it ended up to be.  
  
Carol then walked into the hotel. Despite the Christmas crowds, she had little difficulty checking in. When the clerk at the front desk told her that all the bellhops were busy, she thanked him anyway and told him that she could take of her luggage herself. In hindsight, she probably should have waited, but eventually she made it to her room. She dragged the suitcases inside and collapsed on the couch. She closed her eyes, thinking 'Okay, I'm here in New York City. Its eight o'clock and I have a meeting with Knight Publishing at eleven o'clock tomorrow to discuss the contract. Now what do I do?'  
  
She sat up and surveyed the outer room. In front of the sofa was a small coffee table, off to her right - an armchair. The walls were a light tan color. There was a small table/desk combination against the window and an armoire hiding the television. The inner room beyond contained a single, queen-sized bed, a night stand, and a dresser with another television. The bathroom was off of the outer room, around the small breakfast bar (complete with mini coffee maker).  
  
'Well,' Carol thought, 'If I'm going to be here for a week, I might as well make myself at home.'  
  
With that, she began to unpack her suitcases, putting some clothes in the dresser and the rest in the closet. When she was done, she repeated the process in the bathroom, setting up the various toiletries (mostly Neutrogena stuff, she noted with amusement).  
  
Finished, she collapsed back onto the bed. She rested for a moment than reached for her briefcase and removed her journal. She opened to the first blank page and wrote:  
  
'December 13, 2000. Well, I made it to New York City! It almost feels like a dream. I mean, the city is amazing. Especially at Christmas time. But even though I always talked about traveling, getting out and seeing the world, I find that my thoughts still dwell on Stuckeyville. Tomorrow, I have my first face-to-face meeting with Knight Publishing. I hope it goes well.'  
  
Carol closed her journal and sighed. She stood up and walked into the main room, walked over to the armoire, opening the cabinet to reveal the television. She grabbed the remote, then threw herself on the couch. Flipping through channels, she was surprised, to find a broadcast of Xanadu. Even though the movie had been on for a while, Carol curled up on the bed, smiled and lost her self in it.  
  
After the movie had ended Carol looked at the clock. 'Oops,' she thought, 'its 12:30! I'd better get to sleep. I've got a busy day tomorrow!"  
  
***  
  
New York City - The DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 14, 2000  
  
Carol left a wake up call with the front desk for 8:30 AM. Sufficient time, she'd decided, to dress, get some breakfast and look through the contracts one more time before the meeting. For the meeting, she opted for a pair of dark blue slacks and a nice cream colored top with matching sweater. She did her make-up. Then grabbed her coat, and headed out the door, briefcase in hand.  
  
At the elevator, she double checked the directions for Knight Publishing Associates. She remembered that when making the appointment, she had spoken to Victor Knight's assistant, David Coe. David had said that Knight Publishing Associates was only two blocks from her hotel and gave her directions.  
  
Carol decided to verify the directions she'd been given at the hotel's front desk. Then confident in her ability to find her destination, she left the hotel. As she walked the two blocks, she came to an even greater appreciation of the sheer immensity of New York. The tremendous activity of it. Honking car horns, people talking, people shouting, the sound of far off police or fire sirens, the screech of tires. It made her wonder how people in New York were able to think. Unlike Carol, they seemed unaffected by the noise and chaos around them. Maybe living here for a long time, they'd developed some kind of filter for the noise. She wasn't sure. She just missed the quiet of Stuckeyville.  
  
Despite the snow, Carol had little trouble getting to the building where she was told Knight Publishing Associates was located. A security guard was sitting behind the desk near the elevators. Unsure of what floor she needed, Carol asked the guard. He indicated that she needed the 56th floor and asked her for identification. Then he conducted her and several others towards the elevators.  
  
Carol rode the elevator to the 56th floor, feeling her ears pop twice. There was no confusion about where to go. Across from the elevator was a glass wall, with glass doors in the center. Inside, a wooden paneled wall - on which the logo of Knight Publishing Assoc. was detailed - stood behind a solitary reception desk. An attractive red head was sitting at the desk, wearing a telephone headset. Some plush leather chairs were off to either side behind some glass-topped coffee tables covered with books and other publications.  
  
Carol took a deep breath and entered the office, the receptionist looked up at her as she did so, before going back to the talking on her telephone headset. "Good morning, Knight Publishing, how may I direct your call?" Her voice had a decidedly nasal quality. A pause, then "Hold one moment."  
  
The receptionist then turned to Carol, smiled, and said, "Ms. Vessey?"  
  
Carol was surprised, she had not expected the receptionist to have been on the lookout for her. But she quickly regained her composure.  
  
"Uh," Carol said, "yes, I am. I have an eleven o'clock appointment with Mr. Knight."  
  
The receptionist's smile fell somewhat and she said, "Well, I'm sorry, but Mr. Knight had an emergency come up. He won't be able to meet with you today."  
  
"I'm sorry, I only got into town last night and I didn't get any messages. I can come back another time," Carol said apologetically.  
  
The receptionist smiled at Carol again and said, "Relax, Ms. Vessey. Mr. Knight" she stressed the word "Knight", "can't see you right now, but Mr. Coe asked me to call him when you got here. Hold on a moment."  
  
The receptionist called Mr. Coe's office and, after getting a response, said, "Have a seat, Ms. Vessey. Mr. Coe will be with you momentarily."  
  
Carol walked over to the chairs and sat down. Something about the office made her feel uncomfortable - it was so sterile and bland. 'Come on,' Carol thought, 'its just nerves.' She tried to take her mind of it, by looking over the books scattered across the table top. Of course, all of them were associated with Knight Publishing, and covering everything from self-help to romance.  
  
A few moments later, a large man walked into the reception area. He stood a little over six feet tall with dark hair - slicked back. Carol could see that his hair was long, but in a ponytail. He had a mustache and goatee and deeply tanned skinned. He introduced himself with a smile, extending his hand and saying, "Carol, hi. I'm David Coe. Its nice to meet you in person finally."  
  
Carol stood and shook his hand, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Coe. It's nice to meet you in person as well."  
  
"Carol," Coe said, "I told you when we spoke on the phone that my name is David, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Carol said with a smile.  
  
"So," he said, "let's go have a little talk, shall we?"  
  
With a wave of his hand, he indicated for Carol to follow him down the left hand corridor. As she walked with him, he asked "So, how was your trip? Any problems?"  
  
"No, not really," Carol didn't see the point in mentioning the cab ride. She didn't want to appear naive.  
  
"Good, good," He said. "Here we are," he said indicating an open conference room.  
  
The two walked in, Coe sat at the far edge of the table and waved Carol to a nearby seat.  
  
"Well," he began, "first let me apologize for Victor's absence. An emergency came up that required his personal attention. He wanted me to express his personal apology to you about that."  
  
"Oh," Carol said, with a little side to side motion of her head "its no problem. I completely understand."  
  
"Good," he continued. "Victor would like to re-schedule with you, but isn't sure when yet. Can you leave a phone number with me so that he can call you?"  
  
Carol rattled off her cell phone number which Coe wrote down on a pad. Just as he was finishing, a young man - probably an intern - walked into the conference room. "Excuse me, Mr. Coe? You asked for these?" he asked.  
  
Coe nodded and the young man placed the large stack of papers on the table and then left.  
  
Coe turned to Carol, "Okay, I know that we sent you a contract a couple of months ago to look over. It was our standard agreement with authors. I do have some bad news. In the last few weeks, we have gotten burned by authors who used that contract, so our legal department has developed a new contract."  
  
Carol looked at the stack of papers. It was easily four times the thickness of the one in her briefcase. She asked, her voice tinged with more than a little uncertainly, "Is that just ONE copy of the contract?"  
  
Coe laughed ruefully and said, "Yes, I'm afraid it is. I'm sure you'll want to look this over before we discuss it further. Right now, that's about all we can do. Before anything gets signed, Victor really does want to meet with you." He then slid the stack over to Carol - who had some trouble fitting it inside her briefcase.  
  
"Well, Carol, it was really a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure Victor will call you within a day to re-schedule. Hopefully I will be able to see you then."  
  
Carol stood and followed Coe out to the reception area. They shook hands again, and Coe offered, "I'm sure you'll be hearing from us within the next few days. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you."  
  
"Thank you," Carol replied sheepishly. She was still so thrown by the change in the contracts, that she couldn't tell if the man was being sincere or giving her the brush off. In the end, she decided to play it safe and be polite. She waved and smiled at the receptionist who, though she was busy taking another call, returned both.  
  
As she waited for the elevator, Carol saw Coe talking to the receptionist. She was so intent on trying to discern what or more importantly who, they were talking about that she failed to hear the chime of the elevator doors and was almost trampled by a tall, good looking blonde-haired man, who had practically bolted out of the elevator. They both recovered quickly and Carol noted the expensive look of his clothes immediately and, looking up at him in surprise, his intense gray eyes.  
  
Stepping back with a squeak, Carol quickly said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been standing right in front of the door like that."  
  
The man laughed and said not unsuggestively, "No problem. You can stand in my way anytime."  
  
Normally someone taking that tone with her would bother her, but Carol was still too preoccupied with the telephone-book sized contract in her briefcase. For his part, the man continued down the hall, oblivious or uncaring of any offense he may have caused.  
  
Just as Carol had entered the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor lobby, she noticed that the blond man had entered the glass doors at Knight Publishing, walked up to Coe - who was still talking to the receptionist - and put his arm around his shoulders. With a glance over his shoulder, he said something to Coe. As the elevators began to close, Carol noticed that Coe said something else to the well-dressed man, who then glanced back at the elevator - or more accurately, at her - and smiled.  
  
Feeling more than a little frustrated, Carol decided to go back to her hotel, intending to read over the new contract tonight after a late lunch.  
  
***  
  
New York City - The DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 14, 2000  
  
2:15 PM  
  
Carol decided that she would try to find a place to get lunch outside of the hotel. Feeling a little overwhelmed earlier, she had just eaten at the restaurant next door to the hotel, the Blue Fin. Now, after a night's sleep, and no immediate pending commitments, she felt ready to venture out into the city.  
  
Carol changed from her business attire into a comfortable pair of jeans and a pink sweater. Looking at the new contract laid out on the table, she collected it together with sigh and thought, 'I'd better take another look at this.' She stuffed the contract in her briefcase, which fit better this time now that there was only the one version of the contract in it.  
  
She headed downstairs and asked the woman behind the front desk if there was a good place to get lunch in the near vicinity of the hotel. Despite her earlier bravado, she didn't want to venture too far until she had gotten her bearings a little better. After receiving the names and directions to three different places, Carol picked the second place on the list, Charlotte on West 44th Street, because the name reminded her of the title character from her favorite childhood book.  
  
The restaurant was a small café, Carol took a table by one of the windows to allow her to watch the crowds of Christmas shoppers. When the waitress came, she ordered a small bowl of soup and a Caesar salad. While waiting, she pulled out the contract again. Her eyes felt like they were going to cross as soon as she started to look at it. Digging into her purse for a pen to make notes with, she stumbled upon the business card Mike and Nancy had given her.  
  
Carol pulled the business card out and looked at it for the first time. 'Edward J. Stevens, Esquire. Senior Corporate Attorney, Farmer & Sheehan.'  
  
'I wish,' Carol said, 'that I could remember this guy. Of course, I don't really remember Mike and Nancy from high school either.' She sighed, 'I guess I was just too caught up in the whole popularity thing back then. What a fool! I mean, to think of all the good times I probably missed out on by not being friends with Molly.'  
  
Carol set the business card aside as the waitress brought over her lunch. As she ate, she discovered that her eyes kept drifting back and forth between the contract and the business card. With a sigh, she finally decided that she was never going to understand the contract and that Ed Stevens sounded like her best bet. Hopefully, he would know who she was, but if not, at least she had Mike and Nancy's names to open a door.  
  
Picking up the card, she looked at the address and realized that she was probably in the same block. 'Well,' Carol thought, 'what the hell? If he's going to help me out, I'm going to have to drop the contract off with him anyway.'  
  
Carol finished lunch and paid her tab. Out on the street, she got her bearings, crossed the street at the corner and headed into a building about halfway down the block. Inside, she looked at the directory and found Farmer & Sheehan on the 33rd floor.  
  
Riding up in the elevator, Carol was more than a little nervous. She couldn't help thinking 'This guy probably doesn't know me from Eve and I'm just going to pop in on him.'  
  
The indicator lights slowly counting upward 30 ... 31 ... 32 ... 33! Carol got off and easily found Farmer & Sheehan's offices.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, Ed was working at his desk. This time, trying to review some documents Jerry just had dropped off.  
  
"Hey, Ed," Miranda Van Note said, popping into his office. She was an attractive brunette two years younger than Ed. Younger, but definitely more ambitious - well, at least more overtly ambitious.  
  
"Oh, hi, Miranda," Ed said neutrally. "What's up?"  
  
"Well," Miranda said as she took a seat, "I was talking to Ted Andrews over at The Heller Group, running some ideas by him about the merger we're working on for them. He thought they were some good ideas, so I thought I'd run them by you as well."  
  
Ed's face had gone blank. "Um," Ed said, "I don't recall asking you to talk to anyone about this merger. In fact, you're not even working on this merger, Miranda."  
  
"Oh, I know," Miranda said dismissively, then changed positions to show more of her long legs. She leaned forward, allowing her blouse to open slightly. "I'm just trying to help out everywhere I can."  
  
"Miranda," Ed said calmly, never a good sign, but Miranda did not pick up on it. "Let me make this very plain to you. You do not have the authority to talk to anyone about my cases. You will not talk to anyone else about one of my cases unless I explicitly ask you to. If these directions are not clear enough for you, let me know, and I will further clarify them."  
  
Miranda blanched, realizing that she had made a mistake. Ed always seemed like such a nice guy and she had figured that his recent divorce would have left him distracted and she could have moved on the Heller deal. As well as *other* things ...  
  
Miranda stood, smoothing her blouse while somehow simultaneously accentuating her ... assets. Ed continued to look her directly in the eye, if he was aware that Miranda was an attractive woman, he made no indication of it here. Miranda said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Stevens," she said almost coldly, "I apologize for being out of line. It ... it won't happen again."  
  
"I'm sure it won't," Ed said. "Thank you. Now, I do expect an email outlining the ideas that you discussed with Ted. I don't want to give them the impression that we have any communication problems here."  
  
Miranda paled, she realized that not only had her plan not worked, but she had lost some of her ideas - good ideas - on the merger.  
  
"Miranda," Ed said, reading the look on her face, "Whatever ideas you had - if I decide to use them, I'll make sure that you get FULL credit."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Stevens," then she smiled, then added suggestively, "though wouldn't it be far more PRODUCTIVE if we discussed the matter over ... dinner?"  
  
However, Ed's attention was already focused back to the papers on his desk. Miranda's smile fell from her face. With a final serious nod, she left Ed's office.  
  
Ed stretched for a moment, sighing. Putting aside thoughts of his conversation with Miranda, Ed started thinking about the files Jerry had brought by. Something about the documents bothered him. He started pacing about the room - he always thought better on his feet.  
  
Ed's office resembled the stereotypical New York City law office. Dark wood paneling and plush carpeting. Scattered about the room were bookshelves full of law books. However, incongruously sitting in the corner nearest his desk was an old wooden bat. Ed stopped and picked up the bat, slinging it over his right shoulder, then he resumed his pacing.  
  
Ed stopped, said "Aha!" and set the bat down. He scribbled a few notes on the side of the document. He smiled. It was *HIS* turn to save Jerry's bacon. He was just about to take the documents over to Jerry personally, when his intercom buzzed, Deloris' voice echoing from the speaker, "Ed?"  
  
"Yes, Deloris," he started to sit down, anticipating a long conference call.  
  
"Ed, there is a Carol Vessey to see you. She said she went to high school with you."  
  
Ed missed his chair completely, landing on the floor with a thud. 


	4. Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer & Sheehan  
  
December 14, 2000  
  
3:30 PM  
  
Ed had just made it back to chair, when Deloris popped her head into the office, "Mr. Stevens? Ed? Are you okay? I heard a THUD."  
  
"It wasn't a 'THUD'."  
  
"No, I heard it." She smiled, "It was most definitely a 'THUD', possibly a 'CRASH' ..."  
  
"It wasn't a 'CRASH' or a 'THUD'." Ed offered, trying to regain the offensive, "It was .... It was more like an 'OOMPH'!"  
  
"I'm not familiar with 'OOMPH'."  
  
"It's sort of like an 'OUCH', but ... softer."  
  
"I see. So may I assume that you are alright after your THUD-that-was-more- like-an-OUCH-only-softer?"  
  
"Yes," Ed replied. "Just fine. Fit as a fiddle. Never felt better."  
  
There is a pause. "Good. Ed?"  
  
"Yes, Deloris," Ed said.  
  
"The woman who is here to see you. She is still here to see you," Deloris prompts.  
  
"Oh, right," Ed said, trying to hide his nervousness, "What did (he squeaked, then cleared his throat)... What did you say her name was again?"  
  
"Carol Vessey," Deloris stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Carol Vessey? Carol Vessey?" Ed rubbed his chin trying for all the world to seem like he was struggling to place the name, "Yes, I vaguely recall going to high school with a girl named Carol Vessey. Carol Vessey."  
  
"Ed," Deloris interrupts, "I think we've established that the woman's name is Carol Vessey." There was an amused tone to her voice.  
  
"Right," Ed said, pulling his thoughts back on track, "Uh, send her in."  
  
While Deloris disappeared back through the door, Ed surveyed his office for a moment. He shook his head. He straightened his chair and sat down. 'No,' he thought, jumping up, 'Maybe ... Maybe I should stand. Yeah, stand.' Then he started to re-arrange the items on his desk. He shifted some papers from one pile to another, then he moved the stapler to the right, then back to the left. Finally, he adjusted his name placard.  
  
Then he stopped.  
  
Should he stand behind the desk or in front of the desk? He debated for what seemed an eternity, before deciding that standing in front of the desk was more casual.  
  
He moved back around his desk. His back was now to the door. He noticed the snack he had been eating moments earlier was still scattered across the notes. He swept them from the desk and into his right hand, just as Deloris walked in with Carol and rapped on the door to call his attention to their arrival.  
  
In response, Ed whirled around, almost knocking over the lamp on his desk.  
  
He fumbled for a moment, smiled weakly then steadied the lamp. He was trying so hard to look calm and collected - but it just wasn't working. Deloris wasn't helping much either, what with that smirk on her face. Ed looked at Carol. 'She looked the same as she did in high school,' Ed thought. 'No. No, she looked even better!' Once again, her beauty took his breath away. A barely audible gasp, escaped his lips.  
  
"Ms. Carol Vessey," Deloris introduced Carol to Ed. As he walked over to greet her, Ed noticed that Doris emphasized the "Ms.". Carol started to extend her hand, but stopped short, looking at Ed's hand, and it's contents, curiously.  
  
Embarrassed, Ed tries to recover, saying, "Raisins, they're ... they're NATURE'S CANDY!"  
  
Deloris almost choked. Ed glared at her a moment, then transferred the raisins into his left hand, and wiped his hand on a handkerchief.  
  
"Let me try this again," Ed said, smiling and extending his hand again to Carol. "Ed Stevens."  
  
Carol took his hand this time, smiling in return. "Carol Vessey."  
  
"Well," Ed said, "Please come in and sit down. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Thank you," Carol said and walked further into the room.  
  
"Um," Ed said, noticing that Deloris was still hanging near the open door. "Thank you for bringing Ms. Vessey in here, Deloris."  
  
"You're entirely welcome." Deloris said, totally amused at her boss' dilemma and still not moving.  
  
"Deloris, if there's nothing else?"  
  
"What?" Deloris still wasn't getting it.  
  
"Don't you have some work to do?"  
  
Now it was Deloris' turn to be embarrassed, "Oh. Right. Sorry."  
  
Deloris turned to leave, but then she stopped and said, "Oh, Ed, by the way. My husband, Irving, wanted me to thank you again for paying for our anniversary dinner the other night! That was sweet... sneaky, but sweet."  
  
"You're both very welcome," Ed said with an embarrassed smile.  
  
Carol sat quietly during Ed's exchange with his secretary, Deloris. She hadn't meant to listen in, but since they were in the same room, it was almost impossible not to overhear. She couldn't help but be impressed at the sweetness of Ed's gift of the anniversary dinner. And, to be honest, she couldn't help but be taken by him. The way his hair was slightly disheveled; better than the slicked back look you associate with lawyers. And his eyes - what incredible blue eyes. Nice dimples and a really spectacular smile. He knew how to wear a suit, too. Not like Nick. When he shook her hand he wasn't wearing a wedding band ...  
  
Then she stopped herself. What was she doing? She was here for LEGAL advice. Why was she even thinking about him like that, or comparing him to Nick? Besides, a cute guy like that? He probably already had a girlfriend ...  
  
Aaargh! She was doing it *again*. Finally she stopped, 'He probably doesn't even remember me' she thought.  
  
Meanwhile, Ed was standing there thinking. 'Carol Vessey. Carol Vessey! Is sitting in my office. I can't believe she remembered me!'  
  
Carol looked up and realized that Ed was looking at her. She felt a warmth race through her body and hoped that it wasn't translating to a blush.  
  
"So," Ed said with another smile, "back to my original question. What can I do for you, Ms. Vessey?"  
  
"Oh, no," Carol said. "Its just Carol, Mr. Stevens, please!"  
  
"Okay, *Carol*," Ed said, "And I'm just Ed."  
  
Ed looked at her expectantly, his thoughts still reeling. 'What is my high school dream girl doing here. I remember thinking about her a few weeks ago after Liz left when I was going through my yearbook. I almost asked Mike and Nancy if they knew anything about where she was. Well, I know where she is now!'  
  
"Well," Carol said, "Mike and Nancy Burton gave me your business card."  
  
Ed just smiled at the coincidence. "Mike and Nancy? Heh. Small world. What are they up to?'  
  
Carol continued, oblivious to Ed's reaction, "They said you might be able to help me with legal matters."  
  
Ed managed to maintain a calm face, but inside he was thinking 'Of course! Why else would Carol Vessey want to see me?!'  
  
"I'm in town to meet with a new publishing agent," Carol continued, "and I'm having trouble deciphering the contracts. I thought I'd figured out the one they'd sent me three months ago, but when I went to their offices, they dumped *THIS* one on me." Carol pulled the document out of her bag.  
  
Ed looked at the telephone book sized contract and whistled, "This is a contract between a publishing company and an author? That's a pretty intense looking contract for what I would have thought was a routine legal matter." He held his hand out and Carol passed it over to him.  
  
'Well,' she thought, 'if even Ed thinks it is a little much, how am I supposed to cope with it?'  
  
Ed started to flip through the book quickly, making little sounds here and there. Carol watched him intently, surprised at the fact that she felt immediately comfortable with him. While Ed was flipping, she looked around his office. It wasn't as sterile as the one at Knight Publishing. On a credenza behind Ed, there were some photos. One of Ed in a Stuckeyville High School basketball outfit making a shot from the free throw line. Another of Ed, Mike and Nancy from what must have been their high school days. Another of Ed, Mike and Nancy at Mike and Nancy's wedding. One of Ed with what must be his parents and brother, taken in this office. From the placement of the photos, it looked like one or two had been moved ... or a couple had been taken down.  
  
Ed continued looking through the document.  
  
Carol continued to look around the office, seeing the shelves of law books, and wondered 'Does he even know what all of these are?' She saw the bat in the corner and raised her eyebrows. It was then that she noticed Ed looking at her again. She blushed slightly and said, "Sorry, I'm just naturally nosy."  
  
Ed laughed and said, "You're wondering about the bat, aren't you?"  
  
Carol smiled and said, "Yeah."  
  
"It helps me think."  
  
"It helps you think?"  
  
"It helps me think. It's a guy thing."  
  
"You mean like Tom Cruise in that movie with Jack Nicholson?"  
  
A smile danced across Ed's face, he decided to have a little fun, "I'm sorry, Ms. Vessey - I mean, Carol. Are you comparing me to Tom Cruise?"  
  
Carol blushed, "Well, no. I mean, yes. I mean, just with the being a lawyer and swinging a baseball bat and ..."  
  
"...and the rugged good looks?" he offered.  
  
"I wouldn't call them 'rugged'," she fired back.  
  
"But you would call them 'good looks'?" he quipped.  
  
Carol squirmed in her chair, momentarily confused and not knowing how to extricate herself from this situation. She'd just as much admitted she'd found him attractive - of course he'd tricked her. Damn, he was good. "Well, what I meant was ..." She blushed in embarrassment, but then noticed that Ed was chuckling. She glared at him.  
  
Ed held up his hands and said while still chuckling, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist! I'm sorry." With his last "I'm sorry", he managed to finally wipe the grin off his face, but his eyes were still twinkling.  
  
Carol continued to glare at him for a moment, Oh you think it's funny do you? Then she looked over at the bat, "May I borrow that for a moment. I'd like to give it a try on a problem of mine."  
  
"Um," is all Ed managed to say before Carol burst out laughing herself. Ed looked relieved and started to laugh again.  
  
After a few moments of mutual laughter, Ed said earnestly, "I am sorry. I just...well, I couldn't resist."  
  
"Well," Carol said with a smile, "now you owe me, so I guess you'll have to look this contract over for me, right?"  
  
Ed smiled in return and said, "Well, I had already decided to do that, but yeah, I do owe you. I'll take a look over it and let you know if I find any 'gotchas' buried in it. Free of charge."  
  
"Thanks," Carol said, relieved. "I'm glad you can do this. This stuff is just gobbledy-gook to me. I was getting crossed eyes with all the 'party of the first part will hold the party of the second part' stuff."  
  
Ed laughed and looked at Carol, his mental breath still caught. With a twinkle in his eye, he asked, "So, did Nancy offer me bodily harm if I didn't do this?"  
  
Carol burst out laughing and nodded her head.  
  
"Like this I'll bet," Ed said, trying to imitate Nancy's voice. "'Tell him I said to help you or ... ELSE!'"  
  
Ed's imitation of Nancy's tone, mannerisms, and wording were so perfect, that Carol dissolved into a fit of giggles that goes on for more than a minute. Ed just sits at his desk, smugly.  
  
After Carol regained her composure, she said, "Well, I really do appreciate your helping me out. I shouldn't take up any more of your time." Carol stood.  
  
Ed stood as well and smiled, "It's no problem, really. I'm glad I can help."  
  
As they walk towards the door to Ed's office, he said, "Can I have your phone number?"  
  
Realizing it sounded a little forward, and not at all what he intended it to sound like, he added quickly, "So that I can let you know about your contract."  
  
If Carol was aware of his slip, she didn't acknowledge it. "Sure. My cell phone number is (216) 555-5683. I'm also, uh, staying at the DoubleTree."  
  
'Now,' Carol thought, 'why did I tell him that?'  
  
Ed jotted down her phone number and said, "Okay. Got it." Then he walked over and opened the door to the outer office, noting that Deloris' head whipped around immediately. He chuckled to himself and shook his head slightly. She was incorrigible.  
  
"Well, Carol, I hope that I'll be able to help." he said, as he walked Carol out, past Deloris' desk and towards the bank of elevators just outside the firm's offices. Deloris looked on surprised - was he going to walk her all the way down to the street?  
  
"So," Ed said, not paying attention to the fact that he is pressing the elevator's 'Down' button and waiting with Carol, "Where did you come into New York from. You said you were staying at the DoubleTree?"  
  
"Oh," Carol said, "I live in Stuckeyville. I teach English at the high school."  
  
"You're kidding? That's great," before he thought.  
  
"It is?" Carol was intrigued.  
  
"Why wouldn't it be?" Ed offered. "Do you like your job?"  
  
"Well," Carol thought for a moment, "most of the time." She didn't see the need to regale Ed with Warren Cheswick's attempt to woo her by carving her name in Jell-O.  
  
"And are you happy in Stuckeyville?"  
  
"To be honest ... Not to knock New York, but I couldn't imagine living anywhere else."  
  
"Then, if I'm understanding you correctly, you're doing something you want to do, in the place where you want to do it. Am I right?"  
  
"Yeah," Carol said, she'd never thought of it that way.  
  
"Then why shouldn't it be great?"  
  
Carol wanted to reply 'Because I was an idiot and I wasted the last seven years of my life on an inconsiderate jerk who cared more about finishing chapter seventeen than our relationship.' Instead she just bit her lower lip and looked down at her shoes.  
  
Ed noticed Carol's reaction, sensing that he had touched a sore spot, and he went silent. The elevator arrived and they both got on, neither noticing how strange it was for Ed to still be walking together with her. Deloris, who had now moved to the front of the office, continued watching. The grin on her face continued to widen.  
  
Finally, it was Carol who broke the silence. "It's just that sometimes things don't work out the way you planned."  
  
Ed smiled sadly and nodded. Carol took his reaction to mean that he knew exactly what she meant, perhaps even better than she, herself, did.  
  
"Ed," Carol said, "can I be completely honest with you?"  
  
"Of course," Ed said, a little distractedly, "I want you to always be honest with me."  
  
There was a small pause as they both digested THAT comment. The elevator had reached the bottom floor. Ed and Carol slowly walked towards the exit.  
  
Carol continued with embarrassment, "I ... uh, I don't remember you from high school."  
  
Ed laughed and said, "That's okay. As I recall, I don't think I was all that memorable. We did have one class together, though. Ninth grade. Mr. Roarke's biology class."  
  
"You were in Mr. Roarke's biology class?" Carol asked.  
  
"Yep," was Ed's reply.  
  
They were outside now. Carol was looking back and forth along the street, confused. A bicycle messenger flew by her on the street. Ed noticed her confusion and smiled, "The DoubleTree is this way." He pointed, "Come on, I'll walk you. I, um, needed to get out of the office for a few minutes anyway to clear my head."  
  
They start to walk down the street together.  
  
With a laugh, Carol said, "Speaking of Mr. Roark's biology class. Do you remember Jimmy Leichtnam and the frog?"  
  
Ed started chuckling, "Oh yeah! Big, burly football player. Passed out the moment his girlfriend, Jenny Hatcher, cut into the frog they were supposed to dissect. Keeled right over, knocked the aquarium full of tadpoles over and spilled it right out the window."  
  
Carol managed to say between gasps of laughter, "Yeah, right out the window and onto Mrs. Cavendish down below."  
  
"Apparently, they heard her shrieks over in Jaspertown," Ed said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.  
  
They chuckled for a couple more moments and then reached an intersection, waiting for the light to change. Carol turned around, looking up at the buildings again. She stood on the edge of the curb, right in front of Ed, face to face. She craned her neck upward - still amazed at the sheer size of the office buildings around her, when she lost her balance slightly and took a step backward to correct herself. But her step took her off the curb and into the path of an oncoming taxi. Ed reacted instantly. He reached out and grabbed Carol, pulling her back onto the sidewalk and into his arms. The taxi flashed past, it's horn blaring and driver cursing.  
  
They stood together in the embrace, neither seemed to be in rush to break it apart. Carol, still shaking from the adrenaline, looked up into Ed's eyes - and noted the concern, the warmth that was there.  
  
Finally, they pulled away from each other - *slowly*.  
  
"Thank you," she offered weakly, still not able to tear her attention from those eyes. She could fall into them forever - she thought. He smiled back at her, "My pleasure." Which of course, wasn't really all that far from the truth - as Ed had dreamed of holding Carol Vessey for years.  
  
The light changed, and the crowd of people around them moved across the intersection, but Ed and Carol remained standing there just kind of staring at one another. It took them a minute or two to realize that they had missed the light. Each felt a little embarrassed, but said nothing, content in waiting for the next light change when they continued across the street walking in silence.  
  
The awkward silence continued right up until they reached the hotel. Neither of them were sure how to say goodbye. Finally, it was Ed who said, "Well, I guess I should get back to work. Lots to do."  
  
"Uh, yeah," Carol said, "me, too. Thanks for agreeing to look over the contract for me, and for walking me back, and (she blushes)...for saving my life!"  
  
"Really Carol, it's okay." Ed said, "I've got to get back to work. Enjoy the rest of your day, okay?"  
  
"Sure," Carol said, "you too."  
  
Ed smiled at Carol one last time and turned to head back. Carol just watched him go, not really wanting him to, more importantly not sure WHY she didn't want him to go, but completely unsure of what to do about it. That is until Ed was about twenty feet away, when she called out, "Ed!"  
  
Ed turned around, a curiously anxious expression on his face. "Yes, Carol?"  
  
"You obviously know the city pretty well, right?" Carol asked.  
  
"Yeah," Ed said, "I'm fairly familiar with it. Got anything in particular you need directions to."  
  
Carol frowned. Directions? She didn't want directions, "Actually, I was wondering if you could show me some of the sights tonight?"  
  
Carol suddenly realized just how forward that was. She knew Ed wasn't married, since he wasn't wearing a wedding band, but she also didn't know if he was involved with anyone. She held her breath as Ed walked back towards her.  
  
"Yeah, I'd love to show you the city. How about I pick you up at, um, say 6:30? Dress casually."  
  
"See you then," Carol said with enthusiasm. "Oh, I'm in room 426."  
  
Carol turns and almost skips into the hotel as Ed turned to head back to the office. He took his time, strolling down the streets, and taking in the sights - almost as if he were seeing them for the first time. He entered his building and took the elevator to his offices on the 33rd floor.  
  
He walked by Deloris' desk, still distracted with thoughts of Carol. "Hey, Deloris,"  
  
"Did you take the elevator back or just float up to the 33rd floor?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"She seems nice."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Ms. Vessey. She seems nice."  
  
"Yes. She is."  
  
"I like her."  
  
Ed motioned for Deloris to follow him into his office. If he was going to get interrogated, he didn't want it to be fodder for the gossips in the secretarial pool.  
  
"Okay, what's going on?" Ed asked, obviously referring to the subtle interrogation Deloris was giving him.  
  
"Actually, that was going to be *my* next question."  
  
"Nothing's 'going on', Deloris. She's an old friend from high school. That's all."  
  
"Then why did you pretend you had trouble remembering her?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Earlier when she first arrived you pretended like you couldn't remember her. You even had this whole rubbing-your-chin contemplation thing going. Which by the way was adorable ..."  
  
"Adorable huh?" He pauses, before adding "I was NOT pretending."  
  
"I think, for the record, I should tell you that you're not a very good liar."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It means I can tell when you're lying."  
  
"Okay, maybe, she's a little more than an old friend."  
  
"I knew it. Was she your old high school girlfriend?"  
  
"What?!!! No. We didn't know each other in high school."  
  
"After high school, then?"  
  
"No."  
  
"College?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, I give up. When did you first talk to this woman?"  
  
"About 30 minutes ago. In this office."  
  
"Get out of here."  
  
"I thought you said you could tell when I'm lying?"  
  
"I can. I just can't believe you never talked to that girl before now."  
  
"She was Homecoming Queen. Very popular. I ... wasn't."  
  
"You were a dork?"  
  
"Something like that, yes."  
  
"Interesting ..."  
  
"I'm not following ..."  
  
"It's just that I find it curious that given the way the young woman was staring at you, that she ever thought you were a dork."  
  
"She was staring at me?"  
  
"Didn't I just say that?"  
  
"Well yes, I just find it very hard to believe that Carol Vessey was staring at me like that."  
  
"Stranger things have happened."  
  
"Not in my universe."  
  
"Are you going to see her again?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, she asked me to show her the sights tonight." Ed didn't bother to mention the incident with the cab, as it would just add fuel to Deloris' speculations.  
  
Deloris smiled, "I told you she likes you."  
  
"Deloris we're just friends, okay. Nothing's going to happen. She lives in Ohio. I live in New York. She probably has a boyfriend back home waiting for her. You're reading way too much into this whole thing. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."  
  
"If you insist."  
  
"I do."  
  
Deloris turned and started back to her desk.  
  
"Deloris?"  
  
She stopped. "Yes, Mr. Stevens?"  
  
"You really think she was staring at me?"  
  
"It doesn't matter what I think. You're 'just friends' remember." She winks at him. 


	5. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer & Sheehan  
  
December 14, 2000  
  
4:30 PM  
  
Half past four. Five minutes after the last time Ed checked the clock. He was fidgeting - anxious to get out of the office. He skimmed through the files on his desk again. Not that he had actually gotten that much done since Carol's visit. He was sure he could smell her perfume in the office. He made a note to ask the cleaning lady NOT to spray any air-freshener.  
  
He had even thought about calling Mike and finding out what the deal was, but restrained himself.  
  
Ed fiddled around for another 20 minutes before finally sighing and giving up. Who was he kidding, anyway? He put the files away and cleaned up his desk. At almost exactly five o'clock, Ed grabbed his coat, his briefcase - the one he bought because the other lawyers kept ribbing him about his backpack - and headed out of his office.  
  
He walked over to Deloris' desk and said, "Okay, I'm out of here for the day. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Deloris just stared at Ed for a moment, completely shocked. She shook her head and said, "Okay, whoever you are. Have a good night. If you see my boss, Ed Stevens, anywhere around, let him know that I'll be leaving at 5:30."  
  
Ed stopped, turned around and looked at his secretary, "What is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Well," Deloris said, "my boss, Ed Stevens, would *never* leave at only five o'clock on a workday. Never. I think that maybe that Carol Vessey woman lured the real Ed Stevens away from here and replaced him with an evil twin. Well, maybe not an evil twin, more off a not-so-evil twin."  
  
Ed chuckled impishly for a moment, then responded, "Okay. I know when I'm beat. I think I'll just get out of here before I continue to lose this argument. Have a good night."  
  
"You too, Ed," Deloris said with a laugh. "Don't forget, you keep a change of clothes in your bathroom."  
  
Ed's head whipped around. He raised his index finger as if he were about to lecture Deloris that he had absolutely no such expectations for this evening, but then he thought better of it and just shook his head and smiled. She *really* was incorrigible.  
  
Ed headed home and stopped inside to quickly flip through the mail. Finding nothing of importance, he threw the stack of letters on the hallway table. Then he went into the bedroom. A small sigh escaped his lips as he spotted Liz's empty closet. Ed quickly showered and then towel dried his hair.  
  
He looked into his closet, trying to figure out what to wear. He had said it was casual, so he grabbed a pair of jeans. 'Okay,' he thought, 'that part was easy. Now what do I wear as a shirt?'  
  
Ed tried on a variety of tops: a button down Oxford shirt in blue that complements his eyes; a pullover sweater in tan; a green turtle neck, a red long sleeve t-shirt. Nothing seemed to be working for him. With a sigh, he finally went back to the Oxford shirt.  
  
Taking a final look at himself in the mirror, Ed then grabbed his coat and headed out to pick up one Carol Vessey.  
  
***  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 14, 2000  
  
4:52 PM  
  
For the better part of the last two hours, Carol Vessey alternated between jotting down notes for stories and staring off into space. Eventually she decided she needed to get a breath of fresh air before getting ready for her evening with Ed. She headed downstairs and out to the street, wrapping her coat tightly around herself in the cold, late afternoon wind. She took a walk around the block, looking around at the sites and at various people.  
  
As she got back to the hotel entrance, she found herself getting excited about the upcoming evening. Despite her best efforts, she had been thinking about Ed all afternoon. He just seemed so down-to-earth, so "real". It surprised her that he was here in New York City - he seemed like he would fit in so well back in Stuckeyville. Which, as she thought about it, really wasn't all that unusual. After all, he was FROM Stuckeyville.  
  
She took the elevator up, mentally reviewing her available wardrobe and trying to decide what to wear. 'Ed,' Carol thought, 'had said it was casual. I guess I'll throw on a pair of jeans. That part was easy, now what do I wear as a top?'  
  
Carol unlocked the door to her room, still thinking about what to wear. She walked over to the dresser and took out several pair of jeans. She alternated them against various tops and tried to find the outfit that she thought would look nice.  
  
Then she happened to see that the message light was blinking on the phone. 'Well,' Carol thought, 'I wonder who called?'  
  
She followed the directions on retrieving messages and suddenly heard Nick's voice saying, "Carol, its Nick. I got your number from Molly. I told her it was really important. I heard that you were talking to Knight Publishing."  
  
Carol gave a little gasp. 'How did he find out?' she thought.  
  
The message continued, "I just figured I would give you some advice. You have to be firm with these guys, otherwise they'll roll right over you. Also, I wouldn't try to submit 'The Decision'. I think we talked about this before and I think the character development isn't your best."  
  
Carol ground her teeth. That wasn't true. SHE had always liked that story. It was NICK who constantly trashed it. He didn't even sound sincere to her anymore. It was the same tone of voice he'd always used, but now Carol saw through him.  
  
Nick continued, "If you want, we can talk some more about this when you get back ... Well, I'll talk to then. Goodbye, Carol."  
  
She was about to put down the receiver, when she heard a female giggle.  
  
Carol slammed the phone down, "That pompous, arrogant, son of a ...!"  
  
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Then sat back down on her bed. Her excitement about this evening had completed dissipated. Hearing Nick's voice was like ducking her head in a bucket of cold water. She wanted ... no, she NEEDED this trip to be a separation from him. She had lied a little to Molly, she WAS running away.  
  
'How dare he! How dare he ruin my trip! Its not fair! This was supposed to be about me, not him. ME!' she thought.  
  
Carol took another deep breath, letting her anger out. But as the anger faded, the tears came. She was so upset about this. 'It wasn't supposed to be like this!' she thought. Carol sat on the bed, tears rolling down her face.  
  
She must have lost track of time, because she was startled to hear a knock at the door. Then another knock. Finally she heard someone saying, "Carol? Its me, Ed."  
  
She looked over at the clock, realizing that it was 6:30! She grabbed a couple of tissues and wiped her eyes. Then she walked over to the mirror, she saw that some of her mascara had run, giving her a little bit of the "raccoon" look.  
  
Another knock on the door and Ed's voice again, tentative this time, "Carol? Are you in there?"  
  
With a sigh, Carol went to the door and opened it.  
  
Ed started to say, "Oh, hey, there you are. Ready to." but stopped, realizing that Carol has been crying.  
  
"Hey," Ed said, concern echoing in his voice, "Are you okay? Is everything all right?"  
  
Carol nodded at Ed and said, "Yeah. Everything is okay." She looked back over her shoulder - indicating the telephone on the night-stand. "I just got a message I didn't like."  
  
"It's not about your contract is it?" Ed asked.  
  
"No, no," Carol said, "its just ..." Her voice trailed off. She felt awkward about telling Ed about Nick Stanton. But as she looked into his eyes, those big blue eyes, she saw the warmth reflected in them. The concern for her - even though they'd really just met a few hours earlier. She decided that she could trust him.  
  
"Come on in," Carol said and waved Ed inside.  
  
She walked and sat on the couch. Ed, unsure of what was going on, sat in the armchair.  
  
Carol asked, "Do you remember Nick Stanton?"  
  
"Mr. Stanton," Ed asked, "from high school?"  
  
"Yeah," Carol said sadly, "Mr. Stanton. Well, for the last seven years I was dating him."  
  
Ed's eyebrows rose, but he said nothing. His heart had done a flip-flop when she mentioned that she and Nick were a couple, but he had caught the 'was dating' portion of her statement.  
  
"I, uh," Carol continued, "I broke up with him a few weeks ago. It was ... Well it seemed like it was for a trivial reason, but it went a lot deeper than that."  
  
"Okay ..."  
  
Carol nibbled at her bottom lip for a moment and then continued, "The morning we broke up I was getting breakfast ready for the two of us. When Nick saw that I was having waffles, he said he would have some too. I went to ... This is going to sound stupid ..." She hesitated.  
  
Ed reassured her, "Carol, you can tell me. Really. Go on."  
  
She smiled, "Well, I went to throw a waffle to him. You know just toss it to him. But he looked at me and told me I was behaving like a child and that I should just put the waffle on a plate and hand it to him. I stopped. Right then and there, I realized that Nick was not the kind of guy I could be myself with. Someone I could just toss a waffle to."  
  
"And you need a guy you can toss a waffle to," Ed asked, his voice perfectly serious.  
  
"Yeah," Carol replied, "Crazy isn't it?"  
  
"Not at all. I think it makes perfect sense."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Of course. You want someone you can relax around. Someone with whom you can just be yourself. Deep down we all want that Carol."  
  
Carol stifled a sniffle. She couldn't believe it, but that was exactly what she was talking about. How was it possible that this person whom she only really met a few hours ago knew her so well?  
  
"But that doesn't exactly explain the tears or the message."  
  
"Oh, right. Well," Carol said, "he called while I was out taking a walk - which was a good thing all in all. He left a message ... It was ... There was ... Oh! I'm getting upset just thinking about it."  
  
"Then don't."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't think about it."  
  
"I don't understand ..."  
  
"Okay ... I'll be more direct. Your ex-boyfriend is a jackass. He was a jackass back when we were in high school. And he's a jackass now. The only thing that remains unresolved is whether you're going to let him ruin your trip - or tonight."  
  
Carol was surprised and said, "Actually, Ed, I'm not sure how much of a date I'm going to be tonight. I'm feeling a little upset and."  
  
Ed cut her off, "Tut-tut! First off all, who said anything about a 'date?' Tonight was just about me showing you the city. Two old friends ... well, two FRIENDS (he smiles at Carol) out in the big city, painting the town red, partying til the cows come home, shaking our groove thing, rockin' the casbah.um...I seem to have run out of hyperbole."  
  
"Getting jiggy with it?" Carol asked tentatively.  
  
Ed jumped up, smiled, pointed at Carol, and exclaimed, "Exactly! That's perfect! You and I are going to go out into the city, prowl the streets, see the sites, and get jiggy with it!"  
  
Carol started laughing. She began to forget about Nick's message and started to enjoy herself again.  
  
"So," Ed asked with a smile, "how long will it take you to get ready?"  
  
Carol stood and walked towards the bedroom, "Give me ten minutes to look beautiful again, okay?"  
  
Ed just looked at her, smiled, and with perfect sincerity stated "You don't need ten minutes, Carol."  
  
But Carol had already disappeared behind the door. Which was a good thing because she *had* heard Ed's reply and she melted. 'Could that man get any MORE adorable?' she thought.  
  
She heard Ed call out "I'll just wait out here for you then."  
  
Carol quickly changed into her jeans, threw on a more comfortable pair of shoes, pulled on a dark green turtle neck and tan blazer. She fixed her make-up, grabbed her coat and opened the door to find Ed sitting patiently on the couch. When he saw her, he stood up, but didn't say anything.  
  
This went on for several seconds, before Carol finally asked - not that she really needed to. "Aren't you going to say something? How do I look?"  
  
His eyes never leaving her face, Ed replied, "Words fail me."  
  
"I'll take that." She smiled. She walked over to Ed and took his left arm. "Shall we go?"  
  
"Miss Vessey, we most certainly shall." The two headed out of the hotel room and towards the elevator.  
  
"So," Ed said, determined to keep Carol's mind occupied on thoughts other than Nick Stanton. "How do you know Mike and Nancy?"  
  
"Oh," Carol said, as she hit the 'Down' button for the elevator, "its just one of those Stuckeyville things. We were all in the same class and are all still in Stuckeyville. We just kind of gravitated towards one another. The four of us go out for dinner every now and then - at the Smiling Goat. Do you remember the Smiling Goat?"  
  
They both walked on to the elevator.  
  
Ed simply smiled, "I do. I went out with Mike and Nancy there the last time I was back in Stuckeyville." Ed paused, remembering that Liz had also been with them that time. He pushed the button for the lobby and asked, "You said the four of you, anyone else I know?"  
  
"Yeah," Carol said with no trace of pain in her voice, "Molly Hudson."  
  
"Molly Hudson. I remember her. We didn't hang out in the same circles but I remember she was really nice, not to mention funny." The elevator reached the bottom floor quickly and Ed and Carol exited. They started to head for the hotel exit.  
  
"She still is. Molls is a teacher at Stuckeyville High, too," Carol said. "Science.""  
  
Ed laughed and said, "I guess its now her turn to catch the fainting football players?"  
  
Carol laughed too. "Yeah," she said, "but she tends to just slap them with the frog until they wake up rather than use smelling salts."  
  
They laughed at that image for a moment. Heads were turning as they crossed the lobby. The men were of course, automatically drawn to Carol. And Ed got more than his share of stares from the ladies. But neither Ed nor Carol noticed the attention. Just before they got to the lobby doors, Ed's cell phone rang.  
  
He stopped, pulled it out of his coat pocket, looked at the number and sighed. He looked at Carol and said, "I'm sorry. I told them not to call. It must be REALLY important. Excuse me for just a minute." He moved off for a moment. As he walked away, Carol heard Ed say, "Miranda? I told everyone at the office that I was not ...."  
  
He turned back to look at Carol. He indicated that it would just be a minute more. Carol looked around while she was waiting and saw an elderly woman sitting in a chair very close by. The woman smiled at Carol and Carol smiled back and said, "Hi."  
  
"Hello, yourself, sweetie," the older woman said. "Isn't it the men that are supposed to be waiting for the women?" the woman asked with a glance at Ed.  
  
Carol laughed, "Well, that's what the men say."  
  
"Well," the woman said with a return laugh, "if my husband ever makes it down here, we can get off to our anniversary dinner. We've been married 60 years!"  
  
"Congratulations! That's terrific. What your secret?"  
  
"Tsk," the woman said. "The most important thing for a successful relationship is one thing, sweetie ... Love! If you've got love, everything else - patience, understanding - will be there as well."  
  
"I'll remember that," Carol said thoughtfully and for some reason found herself looking back at Ed.  
  
"No, I don't care. What? Nope, still don't care. The files? Jerry has them. Yes, I'm sure .... "  
  
"So," the woman asked, "how long have you and he been together?"  
  
Carol was caught off guard by the question and said, "Hunh?"  
  
"Your gentleman," the woman said pointing at Ed, "how long have you two been together?"  
  
"Oh, um," Carol said, "we're not a couple. We actually only really met just today."  
  
"Really, " the woman said, surprise written in her face and eyes, "you could have fooled me. I watched you two crossing the lobby and all I could think was how much you reminded me of my husband and I."  
  
"I'm hanging up now. Yes. I am. Goodbye...."  
  
As Ed walked back toward them, the older woman was watching the look on Carol's face change - confusion, excitement, and maybe a little fear.  
  
"Of course, you'd never know I was a blond knockout in my day!" the woman finished with a laugh.  
  
"Speaking of blond knockouts," Ed said as he walked up to them, "which one of you lovely ladies am I supposed to be taking out tonight?"  
  
The older woman laughed, but blushed like a teenager. Carol laughed also, but gave Ed a warm look, a silent thank you for making the woman's night. "Trouble at the office...?"  
  
"No, just someone looking for some files. I told them it could wait till morning." Carol smiled, then explained that the woman and her husband were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary that night. Ed congratulated the woman.  
  
As Ed and Carol went to leave once again, the woman asked, "Excuse me, but maybe you can help me. Do you know where Tad's is? My husband and I have reservations there for dinner, but we're not sure how to get there."  
  
Ed smiled and said, "Actually, I know *exactly* where it is." He gave the woman directions and then, with a sudden thought, reached for his wallet. Carol and the woman were momentarily confused.  
  
"When you get there, ask for Philip Croft and give him this," Ed said as he handed one of his business cards to the woman. "He'll get you a good table, trust me."  
  
The woman beamed at Ed and Carol and said, "Thank you!"  
  
"You're welcome," Ed said with a smile, "and have a great anniversary!"  
  
Ed and Carol headed out onto the street.  
  
"Okay," Ed said, "this way."  
  
"Ed?" Carol said softly and took his arm again.  
  
"Hmm?" Ed replied.  
  
"That was sweet. You didn't have to do that."  
  
"I really didn't do anything. Philip at Tad's knows me - Farmer & Sheehan uses the restaurant all the time for lunch and dinner meetings."  
  
Carol just smiled at him as they continued to walk. Ed would stop every few minutes and point out buildings or stores.  
  
Suddenly, Ed stopped. Carol almost stumbled.  
  
"Oops! I, uh forgot to ask you something? Do you, uh... are you a ... uh, vegetarian?"  
  
"No," Carol said, "why?"  
  
"Because," Ed said with relief, "the place I picked for dinner is famous, but not for its vegetarian dishes. I just suddenly didn't know if I had goofed or not."  
  
"You're okay," Carol said, "no goofs."  
  
With a sly grin, Carol continued, "At least ... not yet."  
  
Ed just looked at her and then resumed his role as tour guide. Carol was completely lost in his voice, the pointing of his hand, the feel of his arm in hers. They turned down another street, a delicious aroma drifted down the street and made Carol's mouth water. Ed noted her reaction - he had planned it that way. He knew that the wind blew this way and would carry the smells from the restaurant.  
  
As they got further down the street, Ed swung them through a doorway and into a restaurant.  
  
"Well," Ed said, "here's dinner."  
  
Carol looked around. The name of the place was Burger Heaven.  
  
"Um," Carol said, "no offense, but of all the restaurants in New York City you brought me to .... Burger Heaven?"  
  
"Yes," Ed said. "You haven't really had a burger until you've had a burger from this place. None better anywhere else."  
  
Ed saw the look on her face and said, "Oh, come one. This is supposed to be an evening of sight seeing and experiencing New York."  
  
"And Burger Heaven is part of the experience?" Carol asked doubtfully.  
  
"Of course," Ed said. He was floundering and started to talk really fast. "Bet you didn't know that New York City is famous for its burgers. Nope, didn't think so. Most people don't. You know, they call New York City the Big Apple, but they should really consider calling it the Big Burger."  
  
She took one look at Ed's face, so sincere and trying so hard, and burst out laughing. She put her hand on his arm and said, "Ed, I'm just kidding. This is fine. I'm not one for big flashy restaurants ..."  
  
Ed kind of deflated, not realizing that he was holding his breath and waiting for approval. Then with a grin, he leaned in and said, "They really do have great burgers here!"  
  
"Wonderful", Carol said. "Although I won't complain if you find a moment to take me to Windows on the World."  
  
Without hesitation, Ed replied. "I can definitely find time for you and Windows on the World." Carol blushed slightly, suddenly realizing that she just invited herself to dinner at a very expensive restaurant with Ed, who didn't seem the type to let her pay half.  
  
"I wasn't serious about Windows on the World. I was only kidding," she added.  
  
"I wasn't." He looked at her and smiled.  
  
They walked over to a table and started to review the menu.  
  
The rest of the evening was like a blur. Carol and Ed got their dinner - Carol did admit that her burger was the best she'd ever had, which earned her a relieved smile from Ed. After dinner, they continued the tour of downtown. For her part, Carol couldn't think about anything but Ed's voice and the stories he was telling. He was a surprising wealth of knowledge on New York City. Either that or he was making it all up. But somehow she couldn't imagine that he would lie to her.  
  
'Why was that?' she asked herself.  
  
They spent the next several hours walking around the city. Telling each other jokes, sharing stories, goofing around - completely oblivious to the passage of time around them. They were lost in the company of each other. The rest of the world, tomorrow - seemed very, very far away.  
  
That is until one of them glanced down at their watch and noticed that it was almost three o'clock in the morning.  
  
Ed walked Carol back to the hotel and up to Carol's room. They stood outside looking at one another - neither wanted to be the one to break the spell.  
  
Finally, it was Carol who broke the silence, "I should let you go. I'm sure you have to get to work in the morning."  
  
"Yeah, I'd better get going", Ed replied, but somehow he couldn't seem to get his legs to move. They looked at one another for a moment, and then both started to talk at the same time.  
  
"Ed, I had a great ti.," Carol said.  
  
"I hope I didn't bore yo.," Ed said.  
  
They both stopped and laughed.  
  
With a nod, Ed said, "Ladies first."  
  
"Okay," Carol said. "I had a great time tonight. Thank you for showing me the City..." She bit her lower lip.  
  
"I told you. It was my pleasure." He smiled. "Well, I should let you get some sleep ..."  
  
"Good night, Carol," Ed said.  
  
"Good night, Ed," Carol said. She wondered if Ed was going to try and kiss her - not that she had ANY problem with that.  
  
When she realized that he wasn't making a move, she acted on her own and kissed him. Not a long kiss, but not just a peck either.  
  
Ed looked surprised, pleasantly, and smiled at her.  
  
"Maybe," Ed said, "We could try this again tomorrow night?"  
  
Realizing that he was being vague, he quickly continued, "Um, you know dinner and sightseeing."  
  
Carol caught the slip this time, smiled and said, "I'd like that. How about the same time?"  
  
"Okay," Ed said, "same time. Let's make it a little more formal - not black tie, but I know a great Italian place a little further uptown. Nice place, but jeans are frowned upon."  
  
"Mmm," Carol said. "Sounds good. Um, dinner that is."  
  
Ed smiled at her slip and said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow night then. Good night, Carol."  
  
"Okay," Carol said and opened the door to her room. "Good night, Ed."  
  
Ed turned back towards the elevators. Carol watched him walk down the hallway from the doorway.  
  
Once Ed turned the corner for the elevators, she quietly closed the door. She quickly got ready for bed, but found that she was too keyed up to sleep. She thought about watching some television, but wasn't really interested. 'Probably nothing but infomercials at this time of night, anyway,' she thought.  
  
She pulled out her journal and began writing.  
  
'December 15, 2000. I met a guy named Ed Stevens today. We went to high school together but I didn't know him then. What a shame! Turns out he's one of the good ones. No, better than good.he's amazing actually!' 


	6. Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 15, 2000  
  
10:30 AM  
  
Carol was sitting in her room, curled up on the couch, her laptop perched in her lap. She had slept in late that morning - finally waking around nine o'clock. There were a thousand thoughts whirling around her head and she had decided to have breakfast in her room after a quick shower.  
  
She nibbled on a room service breakfast of a bagel with cream cheese, a grapefruit half, and some coffee. 'Coffee, definitely coffee this morning,' she thought. She also started to make some notes on story ideas, plot lines, and characters. After only a short while, she had the beginnings for what she thought was a pretty good story - a romantic thriller. The protagonist was a blonde haired novelist, named Caroline, who helps unravel a series of murders in upstate New York and becomes involved - quite unexpectedly - with a mysterious dark-haired lawyer.  
  
Carol wrote for several hours. The words came effortlessly to her as she hammered out chapter, after chapter, after chapter. And while she wouldn't openly acknowledge it, with each page, the mysterious dark-haired lawyer became more and more similar to the man Carol had dinner with the night before - Ed. She continued writing through lunch (more room service) and was just reaching the part of the story when her two leads were going to act on their obvious physical attraction to one another.  
  
Carol stopped typing for a moment. 'Was it getting hot in here?' she asked herself. She glanced over at the clock again - intending NOT to be late for her evening with Ed this time.  
  
She had just resumed work on the aforementioned 'steamy love scene' when she was startled by the ring of her cell phone. For a moment, she thought it might be Nick again - calling to ruin yet another day of her trip. And yet, now that she thought about it, Nick hadn't ruined that day. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she came to the conclusion that all in all, it had been a good day - a very good day.  
  
Even so, when she finally picked up her cell phone and checked the caller- id her tension eased.  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - the office of Dr. Walter Jerome  
  
December 15, 2000  
  
1:00 PM  
  
Mike searched through a medical supply cabinet, "Hey, Wendy, have you seen the boxes of blue powder free nitrile exam gloves. I can't seem to find any."  
  
"Have you checked the back?" Wendy's voice called from the appointment desk.  
  
"Yep. I guess we're out. Order some more will you?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
Mike turned to walk back to the exam room, only to almost walk right into Dr. Jerome.  
  
"Well, Dr. Burton," Dr. Jerome's voice came from behind Mike, "you continue to surprise me."  
  
"Dr. Jerome," Mike said in a clipped tone as he turned to face his mentor. "And why is that?"  
  
"Well," Dr. Jerome said, "I was positive that you couldn't read. But here you are actually reading the labels on those boxes. Or were you (he reached in a grabbed a box and shook it in front of Mike) just looking at the pretty pictures?" He tossed the box back in the supply cabinet.  
  
"I have a patient waiting. I am looking for some powder free exam gloves. The box in the exam room is empty."  
  
"And what, based upon your numerous years of practicing medicine," Dr. Jerome said, his voice dripping with scorn, "are you planning on doing with those."  
  
"Uh, I have to wear gloves when I exam a patient Dr. Jerome," Mike replied.  
  
"I KNOW THAT, YOU NINNY!" Dr. Jerome screamed. "I want to know why you need to wear the silly little blue gloves instead of the regular exam gloves."  
  
"Dr. Jerome," Mike said, "I'm allergic to the latex exam gloves. That is why I need to use the powder-free blue nitrile gloves."  
  
"Oh, well," Dr. Jerome said sarcastically. "That's a horse of a different color. I didn't realize that you had the constitution of tse-tse fly as well as the brain of one. Would you like to lie down there, Bubbles? Maybe take a little siesta between patients?"  
  
With that, Dr. Jerome stalked off. Mike sighed as a vision of Dr. Jerome suddenly falling over, clutching his chest passed briefly across the surface of his brain.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer & Sheehan  
  
December 15, 2000  
  
2:00 PM  
  
Ed and his team had just finished a meeting with representatives of the Henderson Corporation. Henderson was an international conglomerate which had interests in everything from commercial agriculture to high tech industries. Farmer & Sheehan was handling the legal minutia for their latest acquisition, a telecommunications company in upstate New York.  
  
The meeting had gone well. In fact, the meeting had gone *extremely* well. Ed's team played their role perfectly. Robert Farmer and Roy Sheehan were VERY happy with Ed's handling of the matter. Ed suspected that the managing partners had assigned him the case as a test - to evaluate his fitness for a larger role at the firm. And he had passed, with the help of Jerry and the others - with "flying colors". Mr. Henderson was very pleased. He'd even made it a point to congratulate Ed personally, all while the managing partners looked on.  
  
Nearly everyone had filed out of the conference room and Ed was finishing up, putting some papers back into his briefcase, when he noticed that Robert Farmer had slipped back into the room and was walking over to him.  
  
"Mr. Farmer, sir, is something wrong?" Ed asked.  
  
"Wrong? Wrong?!! My dear boy, you just closed the most lucrative deal this firm has ever handled. I just wanted to step back in and congratulate you personally on a job well done." He shook Ed's hand heartily.  
  
"Thank you, sir," Ed said, "but it was a team effort. Everyone pitched in and did their parts."  
  
Farmer smiled, "Loyalty. That's good Stevens. That's very good." Ed couldn't help feel that he'd just passed yet another test. "Your staff is really quite fond of you, you know?"  
  
"Yes sir. They're the best."  
  
"A testament to your leadership. I foresee great things for you, Stevens. GREAT things."  
  
"Thank you, sir. I'll try to live up your expectations."  
  
Farmer just nodded. "Ed, after the holidays, we'd love for you to have lunch with us. Roy and I have something we very much would like to talk to you about. Concerning your future. (He smiled) Have Deloris schedule something with Angie and Marie, okay?"  
  
"Yes, sir, that's very gracious of you sir." Ed replied.  
  
"Think nothing of it. You've earned it. Now I won't keep you anymore," Farmer replied. He shook Ed's hand again, then slipped back out of the conference room, leaving Ed alone with Jerry Pender.  
  
"'Farmer, Sheehan & Stevens' has a very nice ring to it, don't you think?" Jerry mused.  
  
Ed looked at his friend quizzically. Jerry was a mild mannered sort - average height with a slightly receding hairline. He was a couple of years older than Ed, but had never set out to distinguish himself. Never sought the spotlight. Not that Ed had either, but unlike Jerry he was less skilled in avoiding it. Jerry on the other hand, relished the role of second banana - it matched his temperament.  
  
"I don't think so Jer-," Ed replied. "I expect something will come from that luncheon. A bonus, or maybe some additional perks, but a full partnership? I think that's a bit ambitious."  
  
"Ambition is good quality in a corporate lawyer," Jerry rebutted, "at least that's what my wife keeps telling me."  
  
Ed smiled. Jerry's wife had been pestering him for years to make associate partner. It wasn't that she was overly concerned with material possessions, it was simply a desire to see her husband receive the credit she thought he so richly deserved.  
  
"Hmph," Ed said. "Just remember, it only takes one misplaced comma and it all comes crashing down. Fortunately you caught the misplaced comma and it didn't *that* time."  
  
"So," Jerry said as he helped Ed collect the few remaining stray documents scattered across the conference table, "I heard you had to have a talk with Miranda?"  
  
Ed sighed uncomfortably, marveling once again at the speed of the Farmer & Sheehan rumor mill. "I'm not even going to ask how you found out about that," Ed said, but he already knew - Deloris. "But yeah, I did. She tried to muscle in on the Heller merger. Talked to the client directly without instructions."  
  
Jerry whistled, "Maybe you should talk to one of the managing partners. I can't imagine they know what she's been up to. Or she'd be history by now."  
  
"No," Ed replied, "I think it's been handled. If she does it again, then I might have to take stronger action, but like you said 'ambition is a good quality in a corporate lawyer'."  
  
"Now wouldn't THAT be interesting ..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hmmm? Nothing. Just thinking out loud."  
  
"*What*?" Ed asked again, this time more forcefully.  
  
"Well, if you *really* must know." Jerry nudged him, "I was just wondering if our Ms. Van Note will misinterpret your failing to report her 'transgressions' as a sign that her charms are finally beginning to have an effect on you."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ed asked.  
  
"Well," Jerry finally said, drawing out the word, "According to the rumor mill." He placed his hand over his heart, "Which by the way, I place absolutely no stock in, myself. It appears that Ms. Van Note has her eye on you."  
  
"What are you talking about, sport?" Ed asked. "Miranda Van Note doesn't have a 'thing' for me. She hates me."  
  
"Not according to my sources," Jerry replied. "She's apparently decided that with, uh, Liz out of the way you are prime bachelor material."  
  
"I don't believe this," Ed said. "I do not need this right now!"  
  
"No," Jerry says sympathetically, "Especially, now that things are picking up on the social front for you?"  
  
Ed was about to ask something, but then remembered - Deloris. "Okay, how much do YOU know?" Ed wondered if Deloris had informed the window washers or the janitors on the 32nd floor, as well.  
  
"Just that you bolted out of here earlier than normal last night. To meet that VERY cute blond that popped in to see you yesterday."  
  
Ed sighed. "It's not like that Jer-, she's just an old friend from high school."  
  
Jerry just looked at him suspiciously. He was obviously not buying Ed's explanation, but let it go after he saw the look on his friend's face. Ed knew he wasn't buying it either, but decided it just wasn't worth the energy to debate it further. Or was his reluctance because he wasn't buying his own explanation. He thought about it. He had felt a connection with her.  
  
He sighed. Jerry was a good friend, but Ed wished Mike Burton were here.  
  
Desperate to change the subject, "Anyway," Ed continued, "Collect everyone's notes on the contract mods and..."  
  
Deloris walked into the conference room, a curious look on her face.  
  
"Ed," she said, "there is a phone call for you."  
  
"Um, take a message, please, Deloris. I need to finish up here with Jerry right now."  
  
Ed turned back to Jerry and continued, "Get a start on making the contract changes. Then we'll need..."  
  
Ed noticed that Deloris was still standing there. He raised his eyebrows at her in lieu of a question.  
  
"I think you'll want to take *this* call," Deloris said with seriousness in her voice.  
  
Ed was suddenly concerned. "Is it my parents? Is everything all right?"  
  
"No, nothing like that," Deloris responded.  
  
"Deloris," Ed said, sounding exasperated, "is the call an emergency?"  
  
"No," Deloris said, drawing out the word.  
  
"Then take a message," Ed said. "I'm busy right now."  
  
"Now," Ed said as her turned back to Jerry, "we need to schedule another..."  
  
"O---kay," Deloris said, a mischievous tone creeping into her voice, "I'm sure Ms. Vessey will understand." She started to walk out of the conference room, her back to Ed and smiling.  
  
"... meeting to go over..." Ed trailed off.  
  
"Uh, Deloris?"  
  
Deloris stopped and turned to look at Ed, an innocent look on her face, "Yes, Mr. Stevens."  
  
"You know," Ed said, "you could have just told me who was on the phone?"  
  
"But where would the fun be in that?" she asked, obviously pleased with her little bit of mischief.  
  
Ed glared at her for a moment, then said to Jerry very quickly, "Okay, I've got to take this call."  
  
Jerry just smiled and said, "Say hello to your 'friend' for me."  
  
Ed walked out of the conference room at a rapid clip. He looked like he wanted to break into a run, but was desperately trying to maintain decorum. His office was visible from the conference room. Deloris and Jerry watched - both in amusement.  
  
"He's got it bad, doesn't he?" he asked Deloris.  
  
"She's a very lovely young woman," she replied.  
  
Ed entered his office and closed the door. Deloris covered her mouth with her left hand while she silently counted using the fingers on her right hand. Jerry watched her in confusion.  
  
Just as Deloris' fingers indicated 'five', the door to Ed's office opened and he leaned out. He looked down the hall and asked sheepishly, "Deloris, which line?"  
  
Deloris was unable to speak, afraid she would burst out laughing. She silently held up her hand, showing three fingers. Ed looked at her hand and said, "Right. Thanks."  
  
He closed the door. A second lately, Deloris and Jerry heard a muffled thud followed by a curse from inside Ed's office.  
  
Both could no longer hold back their laughter.  
  
***  
  
Ed closed the door to his office and rushed over to his desk. He'd forgotten about the janitorial staff's habit of moving the waste paper basket every few days just to keep him on his toes.  
  
As he rounded the side of the desk, his shin hit the metal rim of the basket, sending it flying and the contents tumbling in several directions. With a curse, Ed dropped into his chair and grabbed his shin. He rubbed it for a couple of moments before taking a deep breath. He turned the chair so that he was facing forward and collected his thoughts.  
  
Finally, he picked up the phone receiver and pressed the button for Line 3. "Ed Stevens," he said. He thought for a moment about a more lively greeting, but decided to play it safe in case he had gotten the wrong line. Wouldn't be good to pick up the wrong line and say to Mr. Sheehan's wife "Hey there, pretty lady! Recovered from last night yet?"  
  
"Hi, Ed," Carol voice said over the line. "It's me, Carol."  
  
"Hey Carol," Ed replied. "How's the writing going?"  
  
"Actually, very well!" Carol replied. "I got several chapters of a new novel done today. I don't know...the setting, the characters, the plot just kind of came to me. I felt...inspired."  
  
"Yeah? That's great Carol, really." Ed said. "What's it about?"  
  
"Oh, um," Carol hesitated, "I don't like to talk about my work while I am in the middle of it."  
  
"Oh, come on, Carol, you can tell me," he replied. "You know you want to." Carol could almost see that him flashing that charming smile of his.  
  
"How can you be so sure, that I 'want to'."  
  
"Because it's obvious that you can't resist the boyishly convincing smile of one Edward J. Stevens."  
  
"You're sure about that?"  
  
"Quite sure," he replied without hesitation.  
  
Back in her hotel room, Carol couldn't help but smile. "You say that like we've known each other for years," she finally replied. 'Actually,' she thought, 'I DO feel like I've known him for years.'  
  
"Well," Ed said as he looked at his watch, "we've known each other for 23 hours, but that's 1,380 minutes...or 82,800 seconds. That's sounds like a pretty long time to me."  
  
Carol laughed, "Alright, but this is all you're going to get from me. It's a romantic thriller - a murder mystery."  
  
"A murder mystery ... Really? Wow. That's terrific," Ed said, obviously impressed. Then he added "Wait a minute ..."  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"You killed me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That's why you don't want to tell me about the book. You used me for one of the characters in the story and you killed me. I'm dead. I've been killed by Carol Vessey. Knifed in the heart, shot in the back, bludgeoned with a candlestick ..."  
  
"Bludgeoned with a candlestick?"  
  
"I'm afraid my experience with murder mysteries is limited to playing 'Clue'."  
  
"Oh." She paused, "Ed, I didn't kill you."  
  
"Ha! I knew it. I *am* in the book!" He replied triumphantly.  
  
Carol couldn't believe it. He had done it to her again. "Um, look, Ed, I have some bad news about tonight."  
  
"Oh," Ed said, trying to sound unconcerned - but he was terrified that Carol Vessey had finally come to her senses and realized she didn't want to spend any more time with a "dork" like him, "Something come up?"  
  
"Nothing bad. It's my publishing agent. They want to take me to dinner tonight. I'm...I'm really sorry."  
  
Ed was disappointed, but he understood. He almost suggested that he accompany her, but realized if she'd wanted him there - she would have asked. "Carol," Ed said, "its okay. I understand. I mean, that's what you're here in New York for, right? It's no problem, really." He lied. He really, *desperately* wanted o see her again.  
  
On the other side of town, Carol looked down at her shoes. Of course, it wouldn't be a problem - he'll probably just go to one of those New York Lawyer parties and meet some attractive woman and ... She stopped herself. She was doing IT again. She had no claim on Ed. It wasn't any of her business if he went out somewhere without her. She wasn't his girlfriend. She didn't even want to be his girlfriend.  
  
Or did she?  
  
"Well," Carol said. "I still feel bad. But, tomorrow is Saturday and we could do something then, right?" Her voice tinged with more than a little hope.  
  
"That sounds wonderful, Carol." Ed said, "Why don't we shoot for a 10 AM start. We could even get some Christmas shopping in ... If you'd like, that is?" Now it was his turn to sound hopeful.  
  
Carol's mind suddenly conjured an image of her and Ed walking arm-in-arm, along the streets of New York, carrying packages and laughing and fooling around. She felt her body suffused with a giddy warmth. Smiling, she replied, "Yes Ed, I'd love to. I'll be ready at 10 AM tomorrow morning..."  
  
"Well," Carol continued, "I should let you get back to work."  
  
"Okay. Oh, I almost forgot," Ed said, "are you expecting to sign those contracts tonight?"  
  
"No," Carol said. "They didn't want anything to proceed until I could meet with Victor Knight, the head of the publishing company."  
  
"Good," Ed said sheepishly, "because I, uh, haven't finished going through it yet. We just finished closing a major deal and this will be the first ...."  
  
Carol paused, in her short-sightedness, she hadn't even considered that Ed might have other more-pressing concerns. "Ed, you don't have to explain. I appreciate what you're doing, but if it's interfering with your job ... I don't want to get you in any trouble."  
  
"No Carol, you're not interfering. You would *never* be 'interfering'. It's fine. We finished everything we needed to do on the other matter today and I was just about to look at the contract. Now, I want you to go and have a nice time tonight and don't worry anymore about it."  
  
"Thank you,", she replied, noticing how he had said that she was never an 'interference'. He was very different from Nick. "I'm going to let you get back to work now. If anything changes, you'll call me?"  
  
"Of course. Have a good time tonight," he said. 


	7. Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
New York City - Cascina Restaurant.  
  
December 15, 2000  
  
7:00 PM  
  
Carol arrived a few minutes early for her meeting. The restaurant was a nice upscale Italian eatery located between 45th and 46th Streets. She took a seat in the lounge just outside the dining area to wait. She was more than a little bit nervous, which was why she preferred being a little early the meeting - it gave her time to mentally rehearse what she was going to talk about. During the cab ride over, she'd even decided to mention her current project - the romantic thriller she'd been working on in the hotel room.  
  
A few minutes passed and she noticed she'd begun to drum her fingers nervously on the table to pass the time. Perfectly understandable she thought, she was in a strange city, going out to dinner with a man she had only just met.  
  
And yet, wasn't that precisely the same situation as last night with Ed? She had been so relaxed and comfortable around him - as if she'd known him forever. Why was this meeting so different than that? She couldn't answer that. But as she thought about it more, she realized that maybe it was because she just wasn't asking herself the right question. That maybe it wasn't what was special about tonight that made her so ill-at-ease, but rather what was so special about Ed...  
  
After a few minutes, Carol looked up to see the blonde haired man from the elevator stride into the restaurant. His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Carol. She suddenly felt like a deer caught in a hunter's rifle sights as he moved towards her.  
  
'Why does this guy make me nervous?' she thought.  
  
"Ms. Vessey... Carol," he said as he smiled and extended his hand to her in greeting, "I'm sorry about our last encounter. I'm Victor Knight. CEO of Knight Publishing Agents"  
  
"Hello, Mr. Knight," Carol said.  
  
"Please! Call me, Victor."  
  
"Okay, Victor," Carol said hesitantly.  
  
"Much better! Now let's see about our table."  
  
Victor walked over to the maitre'd, who, upon learning Victor's identity, immediately pulled two menus out and escorted them to a quiet, somewhat secluded table near the back of the restaurant. When the reached the table, Victor waited until Carol was seated before sitting himself.  
  
While she appreciated the gesture, Carol still looked nervously around the room, 'This was supposed to be a business meeting, not a DATE' she thought. She became even more concerned when Victor sat down directly next to her. Hardly conducive to a BUSINESS conversation.  
  
"So, Carol," Victor said, "I want to apologize again for not being there the other day for your appointment. Emergency situation, you understand." His tone implied that she SHOULD understand, even if she didn't.  
  
"Oh, yes, I understand completely," Carol said, afraid to say anything else.  
  
"Of course, if I had known it was you when I bumped into you on the elevator I would have introduced myself," Victor continued with a smile.  
  
"That's alright," Carol said. "I was the one with her head in the clouds and standing like a lump in front of the elevator doors."  
  
"Carol," Victor said smoothly, "I don't think anyone could look at you and use the term 'lump'." As he said this, his eyes traversed her body.  
  
Carol tried to repress a shudder of revulsion, but failed. 'Now,' she thought, 'I understand why he sat next to me - he has a much better view from there!' She shuddered again.  
  
"Are you cold?" Victor asked. He started to remove his jacket, obviously with the intent to drape it around her shoulders. But Carol shook her head quickly, she didn't want that man's hands anywhere near her. "It's just nerves", she replied and picking up her a menu, "So, what's good?"  
  
"Well," Victor said, "I have always been partial to their Spaghetti with Lobster, but their Pumpkin Ravioli in a bolognese sauce is excellent as well."  
  
'Ah, lobster,' Carol thought. 'At least I can make this snake oil salesman spend some money on me. I can't believe I have to be here with him tonight.'  
  
"Hmm," Carol said aloud, "the Spaghetti with Lobster sounds tempting."  
  
"Well then, two it is," Victor said and called the waiter over. He ordered two dishes of the Spaghetti with Lobster and a bottle of the house wine.  
  
Carol decided quickly that she would have one glass, and ONE glass only of whatever it was the waiter brought out. She had no intentions of lowering her inhibitions around this one.  
  
"So," Victor said, "David gave you our new contract, right?"  
  
"Uh, yes," Carol said. "Quite a difference from the old one."  
  
"Yes, I must apologize for that. I'm sure David explained the need for the revision?" Victor asked.  
  
"Yes, he mentioned it," Carol said. "I read through the initial contract three times and had a pretty good handle on it, but the new one is much more complex. I'm having a lot of trouble."  
  
A predatory gleam appeared in Victor's eye, "Really?" he said, doing his best to sound surprised, "I wasn't aware of that. If you'd like, after dinner we could go back to your hotel room and I could go over the contract with you. Line by line if necessary."  
  
Now it was Carol's turn to fake sincerity, "Oh, that's very kind of you. But it isn't necessary."  
  
"It's no trouble at all." Victor replied, taking a sip of his water and leaning in closer.  
  
"No what I meant was, it isn't necessary, because the contract isn't back at the hotel room. I have a...friend in the city who is looking it over for me. He's a corporate attorney who specializes in contract law."  
  
Victor almost choked on his water when he heard that. Carol smiled inwardly.  
  
"You have a...friend who's a LAWYER?" he asked, applying the same pause around the word friend that Carol had.  
  
'Gotcha!' Carol thought, then replied, "Mm, yes. He's an old...friend from high school. We go way back. He's doing it for free."  
  
"That's very .... considerate of him.", Victor replied cooling somewhat.  
  
"As I said, he's an old and dear friend." Okay, now she was the one lying through her teeth, but she didn't care. It was just too satisfying watching this creep squirm, "He even offered to show me the city tomorrow."  
  
She threw that last bit in just for spite.  
  
The evening started going downhill from there. Victor seemed more interested in her body than her book ideas - ESPECIALLY the romantic thriller involving the novelist and lawyer. Which as she described the story to him, Carol realized just how much she'd based the novelist's love interest on Ed.  
  
She smiled even more when Victor, in a pique of male jealousy, asked if her "lawyer-friend" was the inspiration for the character, and she'd been able to volunteer that 'there *were* a few similarities'.  
  
When they weren't discussing her book ideas, Victor spent much of the time discussing his other favorite subject - himself. Carol suspected that he probably thought if he bragged about enough, she'd agree to sleep with him later. So, he told Carol about his planned ski trip to Aspen during the holidays, and about the kayaking trip he planned for later in the spring down the Colorado River. To listen to him, he was quite the adventurer.  
  
He was also exceptionally dull. However, Carol didn't want to risk jeopardizing their professional dealings by appearing to be bored, so she did her best to fake interest. Mostly, by remembering moments from her previous evening with Ed.  
  
While Victor bragged about running with the bulls in Pamplona, Carol recalled Ed telling her about working his way through school in a dry roasted nut shop. "You know a hazelnut and a filbert are two names for the same nut? You pick up that kind of thing working at a fresh roasted nut store."  
  
When Victor talked about his white water rafting trip, Carol passed the time remembering how Ed, sitting with her in a diner drinking hot chocolate and eating giant chocolate chip cookies had asked, "How much power does the prom queen actually wield? Could you have like, say, bombed Belgium?"  
  
And when Victor talked about his meteoric rise to a publishing magnate, Carol thought about how Ed had completely understood why she had broken off her seven year relationship with Nick, and how later that night he had confided in her about the break-up of his own marriage.  
  
Over dessert, and Victor's college football career, Carol started to worry about how to extricate herself without offending him. She still had a pretty good feeling that an outright rejection of his advances would compromise their business relationship. And she was positive she was not deluding herself about his advances - not after he 'accidentally' grabbed her knee.  
  
Suddenly a thought popped into her head and she excused herself to use the ladies room.  
  
"Of course, Carol," Victor replied.  
  
Carol grabbed her purse and made a beeline for the restrooms. Once inside, she looked around to see if anyone else was in there. Seeing no one, she took her cell phone out and placed a call.  
  
She heard three rings before a voice came on the line. There was music and noise in the background.  
  
"Hello?" the voice said.  
  
"Molly!" Carol said. "It's Carol!"  
  
"Hey, girlfriend!" Molly said "How's it going in the Big Apple.  
  
Carol heard Mike's voice in the background, "Is that Carol? Ask her how her trip's going."  
  
"Hm, oh, Mike and Nancy say hello," Molly added.  
  
"Molly," Carol said urgently, "look I don't have time for chitchat. I need your help."  
  
"Is everything okay," Molly asked, suddenly a little concerned.  
  
In the background, Carol heard Nancy ask, "Is everything alright?"  
  
"I don't know, she hasn't said anything yet," came Molly's reply.  
  
"Molly, I'm alright. It's nothing serious" Carol replied, "I just need your help in creating a diversion."  
  
"A diversion?" Molly asked.  
  
"A diversion?" Mike and Nancy both echoed in the background.  
  
"Carol, you do realize I am in Stuckeyville and you are in New York City," Molly added.  
  
"Yeah," Carol said, "I know. Look, here's the deal. I'm having dinner with the president of the publishing company and...um, well, he's a real jerk. He's been making passes at me all night, but I don't want to reject him outright because that might blow my book deal."  
  
"That creep! He wouldn't ... " Molly exclaimed. Then Carol heard her tell Mike and Nancy what she'd said.  
  
"That's just the thing," Carol explained, "I think he would. God I wish I'd listened to myself and asked Ed to come along. Anyway, here's what I want you to do. In (Carol looks at her watch) ten minutes I want you to call me on my cell phone. Don't worry. I'll supply most of the conversation. It doesn't matter what you say as long as that creep is able to hear you through my phone. I'll pretend it's some sort of family emergency, make my apologies and get out of there. Got it?"  
  
"Sounds easy enough," Molly said in an amused tone.  
  
"Thanks, Molls," Carol was relieved, "I knew I could count on you." She slipped her cell phone back into her purse and made her way back to the table.  
  
She sat down just as the waiter was bringing the dessert. Victor looked at her inquisitively.  
  
"Is everything alright?" he asked his voice dripping with phony concern.  
  
"Just had to powder my nose," Carol replied, "Now you were telling me about your ski trip to Aspen?" Victor smiled, and began rambling again - not only about his athletic prowess on the slopes, but also the intimate atmosphere of his lakeside cabin. Carol, in what she would later describe to her friends back in Stuckeyville as the "greatest acting performance of my life", pretended to be captivated by his story.  
  
Every few moments, she surreptitiously glanced down at her watch. The seconds seemed to drag on forever.  
  
Finally, Carol heard her cell phone ring. At first, she pretended that she didn't hear it. When it rang a second time, she acted as if she thought it was someone else's phone. When it rang a third time, Victor stopped speaking and looked at her. With a sudden start, Carol said, "Oh, is that mine. I'm sorry. I don't know who could be calling me." She removed her phone from her purse, looked at the caller's number and said, "Oh, it's my friend Molly from Stuckeyville. I told her that I had a very important dinner engagement tonight, so it must be important."  
  
She answered her phone, "Hello?"  
  
"So for this 'diversion thing', I'm just supposed to just talk, is that right?" Molly asked.  
  
"Oh my God! Molly are you okay?!" was Carol's reply.  
  
"Nancy told me to tell you that Sarah's able to stand up on her own now," Molly said sweetly into her phone.  
  
"I can't believe he did that!" Carol replied.  
  
"What's wrong?" Victor asked, annoyed at the growing interruption. Carol ignored him, focusing instead on her cell-phone.  
  
"Carol, when you get back to Stuckeyville there's this new dress shop over in Jaspertown, that we just have to check out. Nancy says the prices are just unreal."  
  
"Of all the unmitigated GALL!" Carol fumed, "He can't do that to you."  
  
There was a slight pause.  
  
"Hey Carol? It's me Nancy. Molly ran out of things to tell you, so she passed the phone over to me. Is that alright?"  
  
"Of course, it's alright dear, it's not your fault your dating that insensitive jerk! I'm glad you called." Carol looked over at Victor, gesturing in such a way as to indicate that she'd only be another minute or two. "It's good that you found that out now ... before something serious happened."  
  
"Dr. Jerome called Mike a slack jawed llama today," Nancy said.  
  
"You're PREGNANT!" Carol screeched into the phone. All eyes in the restaurant suddenly turned to their table. Carol smiled inwardly - it was working.  
  
"This sounds serious." Victor interjected, "Maybe you should continue this conversation outside. We ... er, we don't want to cause a scene." He threw his napkin on the table, and motioned for the waiter to bring the check. It was a clear admission of defeat.  
  
Carol sighed, "I guess you're right Victor. Molly, I have to go. I'll call you back in just a few minutes. Hold on sweetie." She hung up her phone, then looked up Victor and said, "I am *so* sorry Victor. Molly is really upset about an argument she and her boyfriend had and ...."  
  
"I understand completely," Victor said smoothly, clearly lying. "Why don't you go ahead back to your hotel. I'll take care of the check. I'll have my office schedule another meeting so that we can sign the contracts."  
  
Carol couldn't resist one more sting, "That would be just great. I'll have my friend there to. I had a lovely time, Victor," she added, then got up and made straight for the front door of the restaurant.  
  
Once she was safely in her cab and heading back to her hotel, she got back on her cell-phone.  
  
"Molly? I'm back. Mission accomplished."  
  
"So it worked?"  
  
"Yeah," Carol replied, "Thanks. I owe you big time. Yech! I feel like I need to take a shower after being with that guy all night. I think if he looked at my chest or my legs one more time I was going to scream."  
  
"Carol, you *did* scream."  
  
"That was more of a screech really."  
  
"Oh. So how's New York?"  
  
"Except for that jerk, great really," Carol suddenly realized that if she could get back to her hotel in time, she might be able to still call Ed. It wasn't that late and maybe he hadn't left the office.  
  
"You're sure you're okay?"  
  
With a smile she said, "Actually, Molly, I'm better than okay."  
  
"Well," Molly said, "if you're sure. Anyway, I meant to ask you about something you said earlier."  
  
"Sure, Molls," Carol said as her cab got closer to the hotel. "What?"  
  
"Well," Molly explained, "when you called me earlier you said something about wishing Ed were there."  
  
"Yeah?" Carol was surprised. She didn't even know she had said anything about Ed. 'This guy is really starting to pervade my thoughts', she thought with a flush.  
  
"Who's Ed?"  
  
"Um," Carol said, "actually you know him. Well, sort of...maybe."  
  
"Thanks," Molly said, "that cleared it right up for me. Wait a second Carol... (talking to someone sitting next to her) Mike? Why are you and Nancy smiling like that? What do you guys know that I don't?"  
  
"Carol, is there something YOU want to tell me," Molly asked, her voice all 'peaches and cream'.  
  
"Stevens," Carol said. "Ed Stevens. He went to high school with us. I don't know if you remember him or not?"  
  
"Oh I remember him alright. Played basketball. Very cute. Funny, too," Molly replied slyly.  
  
Carol had just exited her cab and was walking toward the front door of her hotel. She continued on, oblivious to the bemused tone of Molly's reply. "He's a lawyer. Mike and Nancy gave me his business card - in case I had trouble understanding the contracts. Anyway, I went to see him yesterday and he said he'd be glad to do it. In fact, he's probably looking it over as we speak since I had to cancel dinner with him tonight."  
  
"You had dinner plans with him tonight?" the sly tone in Molly's voice became more evident.  
  
"Yeah," Carol said still distracted. She entered the hotel lobby. "We were supposed to continue last night's sight-seeing, but I had to cancel to have dinner with that creep."  
  
"You cancelled dinner with Ed to have dinner with a creep?" Molly asked coyly.  
  
Carol walked towards the elevators, "Molls, I didn't know he was a creep when he suggested dinner. If I did I would never have cancelled on a great guy like Ed."  
  
She stopped.  
  
Did she just tell Molly that she thought Ed was a "great guy"?  
  
"So you think Ed is a great guy, do you?"  
  
'Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.' Carol thought. She got on the elevator and pushed the button for the fourth floor. She needed to retreat tactfully. What to say? Ah, yes, that's perfect. "Oops. Sounds like my cell-phone is running out of power. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks again, Molls. Bye."  
  
"Carol - wait I want to ...." was all Molly could get out before Carol hung up on her.  
  
***  
  
Carol sank into the couch. That hot shower was precisely what the doctor ordered. She looked over at the clock on the wall. 9:30 PM. She had considered calling Ed's office and seeing if he was still there, but decided that she'd probably missed him. Of course, she could always call him on his cell-phone. He'd given her his number last night.  
  
No. She decided. She'd monopolized too much of his time already. He was giving her free legal advice, had bought her dinner and taken her sight- seeing last night, and would have taken her out to dinner tonight if she hadn't had to cancel. Besides, she'd see him tomorrow at 10 AM.  
  
It was only twelve and a half hours away.  
  
She got ready for bed. As she lie there curled up under the blankets, her thoughts drifted back and forth. Ed's face popped up quite frequently: the look of concern of his face as he pulled her out of the way of that cab; or later again when he'd found her crying in her room. The teasing expression he'd had when he'd wheedled a complement from her in his office. The flustered look on his face during the first minutes at Burger Heaven; and, best of all, the look on his face after she had kissed him.  
  
'I STILL don't know anything about whether or not he's seeing someone' was Carol's final thought before she fell into a deep sleep.  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - The Smiling Goat  
  
December 15, 2000  
  
8:45 PM  
  
Molly put her cell-phone back into her purse, she looked at Mike and Nancy. "The Eagle has landed."  
  
Mike and Nancy just looked at one another for a moment. The Friday night crowd at the Smiling Goat was always a bit on the noisy side - perhaps they'd misheard her. Confused, they looked back at Molly, who sighed and said "It worked."  
  
"Oh!" they said in unison.  
  
"Um, so can we assume that everything is okay with Carol now?" Mike asked, then took a bite of his cheeseburger.  
  
"Well," Molly said after a moment's thought, "She got away from that creepy publishing agent. As for the rest...I'm not sure."  
  
Nancy took a sip of her soda. "The rest?" she asked.  
  
Molly twirled her fork in her chef salad, "It's just that I've known Carol for years and I've never really seen her like this ..."  
  
"Like what?" Mike asked.  
  
"Well," Molly said, "She seemed so ... out of sorts. And then there was what she said about Ed."  
  
"What she said about Ed?" Nancy asked, setting down her sandwich.  
  
"What did she say about Ed?" Mike asked, grabbing another handful of fries.  
  
"Well she didn't mean to say anything it just sort of came out."  
  
"What?!!!" Mike and Nancy said in unison.  
  
"She was talking about what a creep the publishing agent was and how she never would have cancelled the plans she'd made with Ed if she'd known what a creep that Knight guy was."  
  
"She made plans with Ed?" Nancy asked?  
  
"OUR Ed?" Mike added.  
  
"Our Ed." Molly watched as both Mike and Nancy began to smile. "Wait. It gets better."  
  
Mike turned to his wife, "Hi-five me honey."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I think Molly's about to tell us that our little Edward has finally become a man."  
  
Nancy just looked at her husband with exasperation, "Mike, quit being such an idiot. Carol and Ed didn't sleep together." She started to take another bite of her sandwich, then stopped. "Uh, Molly ... they didn't sleep together, did they?"  
  
"No. At least Carol didn't tell me that. However, she did let it slip that she thought Ed was a 'great guy'."  
  
Mike looked down at his empty plate, "Hey Nance? Are you going to eat your pickle?  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your pickle, are you going to eat it?"  
  
"Michael Roger Burton, didn't you just hear what Molly said? Carol thinks Ed is a 'great guy'. Molly, give Mike your cell phone. Mike call Ed and find out if he still likes Carol."  
  
"Nance. We're not in high school anymore. They're two grown adults. Let them sort it out," Mike replied.  
  
"And what if they screw it up?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Then we kill them. Now are you going to eat that pickle or not?"  
  
Nancy handed her husband the pickle, he devoured it hungrily.  
  
Nancy looked at her husband, "Well, if you're not going to call Ed about Carol. You should at least call him and tell him about the Stuckeybowl shutting down."  
  
"No!" Molly said. "You're kidding? Why?"  
  
"You haven't heard?" Nancy said, "There was a fire in one of the pin setters. Supposedly, one of the guys that works at StuckeyBowl caused it. Not deliberately, he just rewired something wrong or something. Anyway, with business being what it is, Big Rudy is short on cash and it doesn't look like he can make the repairs and the mortgage."  
  
"Wow, that stinks," Molly said. "We used to love going to Stuckeybowl."  
  
"Eddie is going to be so upset when he learns that StuckeyBowl is closing," Nancy said.  
  
"Why?" Mike asked. "Nance, he lives in New York. Why would StuckeyBowl closing upset him?"  
  
"Come on, Mike," Nancy said in that slightly exasperated tone of voice she used with him, "Eddie used to work there. He loved that place. He's going to be upset. You'd be upset too, if you had any feelings, you big moose!" She gave her husband a playful punch in the arm and smiled.  
  
"I am not a moose," Mike said. Then looked at both women and added, "And I'll call Ed this weekend. Find out what's what. Okay?"  
  
Molly smiled and Nancy leaned in and kissed him sweetly. 


	8. Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
New York City - Ed's apartment  
  
December 16, 2000  
  
8:00 AM  
  
Ed slept in until eight o'clock. He'd needed the extra hour to recover from the VERY late Thursday evening he'd spent with Carol. He smiled, remembering it. He showered quickly, then dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans and sneakers. Then he walked over to his closet. Reviewing his available shirts, he instinctively grabbed a clean baseball jersey with the number six on the front.  
  
He went to the kitchen, where he prepared himself a quick breakfast of eggs, toast, and coffee. It wasn't long before he was feeling like his old self again. No. He was feeling better ... much better, than he had in weeks.  
  
And he knew *exactly* why.  
  
He glanced at his watch. It was still too early to go pick up Carol for their shopping trip. So, he puttered around the apartment for another hour. Then he'd remembered that he'd originally planned to play racquetball with Jerry that morning. He picked up the phone and called his friend - hoping that he could catch him before he left home.  
  
"Hello?" Jerry answered.  
  
"Jerry, it's me, Ed."  
  
"Hey Ed. What's up?"  
  
"I know we were supposed to play racquetball today but ..."  
  
Jerry didn't even let him finish, "... but you have OTHER plans. I already know."  
  
"You already know? How do you already know? I just made the plans yesterday afternoon." But he already had a pretty good idea how Jerry had found out - Deloris.  
  
"Uh, it's after 9:30 AM, don't you think you should be getting on your way. You have to get across town to pick up Carol and it's Saturday and traffic's going to be a bit slow - what with all the people out doing their holiday shopping."  
  
"Jerry ... is there ANYONE at Farmer & Sheehan that Deloris hasn't told something about me and Carol to?"  
  
"I don't think she's managed to speak to window washers on the 31st floor, yet," came Jerry's reply.  
  
Ed sighed. His secretary's talents at espionage were clearly wasted at Farmer & Sheehan. She was obviously much more suited to working someplace like the CIA. He made a mental note to himself to take it up with her on Monday. Right after he handed her the flowers he intended to buy her as a thank-you for taking care of his racquetball game with Jerry.  
  
"Thanks Jerry. Look I gotta run, now. I'll talk to you Monday, okay?"  
  
"Check, go get 'em chief!"  
  
Ed stopped. He debated how or even if he should reply to Jerry's last comment. Then he decided against it. He really didn't want to know if Deloris had started an office pool about him and Carol. "Right, okay. Bye." was all he really felt safe in saying.  
  
Ed stood there for a moment. It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to Carol. Because he was. At first, he tried to dismiss the feelings as the leftover remnants of the infatuation with Carol that he'd had in high school. But it was more than that. Much more. He knew there was something special about her. That she brought out something in him that he hadn't seen in a long time. Something that had been missing in him, since even before he and Liz had divorced.  
  
He looked down at the phone. He thought about calling his best friend, Mike Burton and talking to him about it - but decided he'd wait till tomorrow. As Jerry had said, he *really* had to get going if he was going to be on time.  
  
***  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 16, 2000  
  
8:00 AM  
  
Carol slowly climbed out of her bed. She'd been up late writing last night and hadn't gotten to sleep til almost 1:00 AM. She fumbled around her hotel room for a few moments, then went into the bathroom for a quick shower.  
  
As she walked back into her bedroom, she decided that given the amount of time she and Ed would be walking around the city, that jeans and sneakers were the best choice. She grabbed a t-shirt and her blue sweatshirt (the one with gold trim) from the dresser.  
  
For breakfast, she figured she'd just run down to the bagel shop across the street from the hotel. She had seen the bill for her self-indulgent breakfast and lunch yesterday and knew that she couldn't afford a repeat of that. 'I definitely have to watch my funds more closely,' Carol thought. 'I don't have money to burn!'  
  
She finished her make-up and then stepped back to look at herself in the mirror. 'Well,' she thought surveying her choice of attire, 'doesn't this look frumpy.' She considered changing into something else - she'd even started back towards the bedroom. When she stopped.  
  
She was just going out with Ed. She didn't have to try to impress him. She smiled contentedly. For some reason, knowing that comforted her.  
  
At the bagel shop, Carol ordered a large bran muffin and some coffee. As she ate, she watched as crowds of New Yorkers bustled about on their weekend and holiday plans. Even though she'd been in the city for several days now, she still found it hard to believe the city was home to *so* many people. It wasn't at all like Stuckeyville.  
  
She suppressed a slight twinge of homesickness. Then ate the last bit of her muffin and checked her watch. If she hurried, she had just enough time to get back to her room and get cleaned up before Ed was supposed to meet her. She ran back across the street to her hotel.  
  
Carol had just finished brushing her teeth and was passing the time with a little TV-channel surfing, when she thought she heard a knock at her door. She walked to the door, and looked out through the peephole into the hallway.  
  
She chuckled slightly.  
  
Ed was in the hallway, pacing back and forth. After about a minute and a half, he took a deep breath, and walked back over to her door. He raised his hand as if to knock, then paused. Stopped. Then turned and went back to pacing. He repeated this pattern several times over the next five minutes.  
  
All while Carol watched, more than a little amused.  
  
Finally, when she didn't think she could contain her laughter any more, Carol opened the door - just as Ed was raising his hand to make another attempt at knocking. Ed looked at Carol, quizzically, it didn't take much to guess why she was chuckling - she'd been watching him the whole time.  
  
He quickly bent down and picked up a plant that he had set down on the floor just to the left of the door and presented it to Carol. "Uh, this is for you," He said. No doubt hoping to stifle any embarrassing questions about why he was wearing a path in the hotel's carpeting.  
  
"Um, thank you," Carol said tentatively.  
  
"You're welcome," Ed said with a smile.  
  
Finally, Carol asked, "Ed, why did you just give me a plant."  
  
Ed's smile fell. "Don't you like it?"  
  
"Oh, no, no," Carol said quickly, "I like it. I like it a lot. It's just that I don't understand why you gave it to me."  
  
"Oh," Ed said, sounding relieved. "Well, as I was heading over I passed a flower shop. I thought about getting you flowers. But then I thought, 'Come on, Ed, she doesn't have anywhere she can put flowers. Its not like a hotel room comes equipped with a vase for their guests to put flowers in.' Then I thought about silk flowers, but they would still look better in a vase. Same problem. So I got you a plant."  
  
Carol did her best to follow Ed's logic, but gave up. Whatever his thinking, it was still a sweet gesture. As he finished, she nodded and said, "And a very nice plant it is. Thank you." She walked over and placed it carefully on the coffee table in the main room. She looked back at Ed, who smiled, obviously pleased.  
  
"Ready to go?" Ed asked.  
  
"Yeah," Carol replied and grabbed her coat. They walked out of her hotel room and took the elevator downstairs - not saying much, just sneaking glances at one another and smiling.  
  
As they walked across the lobby, Carol rummaged through her purse and pulled out a piece of paper.  
  
"What's that," Ed asked.  
  
"Hm, oh," Carol said, "it's my shopping list. Unlike some people (a meaningful glance at Ed) I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done. I just wanted to pick up a little something for everyone on my list. Something from my trip to New York."  
  
"Ah," Ed said. "I have my list too."  
  
"Oh yeah," Carol said, "let me see it!"  
  
"Can't," Ed replied.  
  
"Why not?" Carol said.  
  
"Because," Ed said tapping his index finger against his temple, "it's all up here."  
  
"Oh, that's right," Carol says with a smile, "you like to live dangerously!"  
  
Ed glared at her humorously. They walked outside, then he directed them south.  
  
"So," Ed said, "who's on your list."  
  
"Let's see," Carol said, "I've got my father, my sister Stella, Molly, Mike, Nancy, and Sarah."  
  
Ed craned his neck to look at the list, "Hmm?"  
  
"What?" Carol asked, holding the list against her chest.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Ed said, sounding disappointed.  
  
"Come on, Ed," Carol persisted. "What?"  
  
"Well," Ed said, "I see my name isn't on your little list, is it?"  
  
"Uh, no," Carol said non-plussed. "No, it's not."  
  
Ed suddenly brightened and said, "Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to content myself with being the star of your latest novel. So have you given any thoughts as to who will play me?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"In the movie."  
  
"What movie?"  
  
"The MOVIE," he explained. "The movie based on your novel. You remember the romantic thriller, starring your's truly." He smiled.  
  
"Ed. The novel isn't even finished yet."  
  
"So? My dear Carol, as a talented young writer you should endeavor to learn more about the intricacies of the entertainment business. A hot property like your novel will get eaten up in seconds by those Hollywood movie types. You need to start thinking in advance."  
  
"How can you be so sure that my novel's going to be a ... what did you call it? A 'hot property'?"  
  
"Well as I see it. Your novel has two things going for it."  
  
"And those would be?"  
  
Ed stopped walking for a second, he turned and look serenely in Carol's eyes and said "Well ... One, it has you for a writer."  
  
Carol blushed, "And the other?"  
  
"I'm in it," Ed said matter-of-factly. Then dodged as Carol playfully tried to hit him.  
  
Carol laughed. "Okay, Ed you win. You're not on my list, but only because I already had something in mind for you for Christmas."  
  
Ed paused. "Carol I was only kidding, I really don't expect you to get me something for Christmas. We just met the other day and ..." He started walking again, glancing to his side at Carol, and thought 'If only she knew what I REALLY wanted for Christmas!'  
  
"Well, I'm still going to get you something," she replied, with a tone that said the matter was no longer open to debate.  
  
They continued walking for several more minutes. Carol looped her arm into his. Ed smiled contentedly, enjoying the nearness of her.  
  
"So," Ed said, "how did things go last night with your publisher?"  
  
"Yech!" Carol said in disgust.  
  
"That doesn't sound good," Ed replied, "what happened? Didn't he like your book ideas?"  
  
"My 'book ideas' were the last thing on his mind" Carol explained. "Victor Knight, the president of the publishing agency, is a ... well, the best description would be 'pig'. He was more interested in the contents of my blouse than he was in the contents of my book."  
  
"Geez, Carol. I'm sorry." Carol looked up at Ed, she could see that he meant it, too.  
  
"I should have listened to my gut and asked you if you wanted me to come along," Ed admitted after a long silence.  
  
Carol shuddered, remembering that at the time, she'd had the *exact* same thought and then again, during dinner she had wished that Ed had been there with her. She wondered how differently the evening would have gone had he been there with her, or how he might have reacted if he'd walked in and caught Victor trying some of his 'get cozy' tactics on her. The image of Ed defending her honor and popping Victor in the mouth had a certain guilty appeal, she decided.  
  
"Carol?" Ed asked.  
  
"Hmmmm?"  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"Hmmm? Oh nothing specific." Carol said, half-lying. "I'm just enjoying the company. Do you have a plan in mind for shopping, or are we going to just wander around?"  
  
"Yes," Ed said, smiling back.  
  
"Yes what?" Carol said. "Yes, you have a plan or yes, we're going to wander."  
  
"Both," Ed said with a smile. "I have a list (he tapped his temple again) of places that I would like to definitely go to, but as for the rest ... Well, we'll leave that up to fate."  
  
"You have that much faith in 'Fate', do you?"  
  
"Let's just say that lately, she's been very kind," Ed replied.  
  
Carol blushed and continued walking beside him.  
  
They spent the next two hours, wandering in and out of shops along Broadway. Until they'd reached the Neiman Marcus several blocks south of Carol's hotel. Ed told Carol he had some gift ideas for his mother and Deloris that he wanted to check out.  
  
As they walked through the store, they talked quietly on a number of different topics: how things were in Stuckeyville - what had changed, what hadn't; Carol's work; Ed's work; their families. Neither realized that they were telling each other things about their work and families that they had never shared with anyone else.  
  
By the time they left Neiman Marcus, Ed had picked out a trio of scarves in bold prints for Deloris - who, as he explained to Carol, was a clothes horse with bold style. Carol looked over at the scarves and almost fainted at the price, but Ed had simply handed over his credit card. 'Well,' Carol thought, 'he is a big city lawyer.'  
  
Ed also asked Carol to help him pick out a sweater for his mother. At first, Carol had playfully balked at the offer - asking Ed why she thought she would be a good model for a fifty-year-old woman. But, she quickly relented when Ed had told her that he'd asked because he thought she had a good fashion sense. So she helped him pick out a lovely red and white sweater.  
  
As he was paying for the purchase at the sales counter, Carol questioned him as to whether the sweater was a wise choice considering his parents now lived in Florida, but he replied that his mother was always cold - didn't matter whether she was in Florida or Ohio.  
  
After they left Neiman Marcus, the pair continued south along Broadway and then turned west onto 34th Street. They had only walked a short distance before they ran into the crowd of people clustered around the window displays at Macy's. Carol and Ed spent a few minutes watching the holiday displays of people in Victorian outfits acting out various Christmas scenes. Carol laughed when Ed stood next to one of the displays - that of a group of carolers - and matched one of them pose for pose.  
  
Carol then suggested they go inside for a bit to warm up and look around. What began as a brief respite from the cold, quickly turned into an earnest shopping trip as the two moved from floor to floor.  
  
Finally, they ended up at the jewelry counter. Carol stopped, wondering if she could find something for Molly or Stella. As she looked at one case, she gave a little gasp.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ed asked.  
  
"That pendant," Carol replied. "It's identical to the one my mother used to have. I remember she used to love it - wore it all the time. My father gave it to her when I was born."  
  
"What happened to it?"  
  
"It was ... lost", Carol choked, her eyes tearing up, ".... when my mom was at the hospital that last time." She wiped away a sniffle, refusing to look away from the pendant and the memory it evoked in her.  
  
Ed looked down at Carol and smiled sadly. Even after all these years it still hurt her to think about her mother's death.  
  
Carol looked over at Ed and - again - saw the compassion, the concern for her, in those blue eyes. For a moment, it even looked to her like his eyes were tearing up, as well.  
  
Then Ed raised a hand, getting the attention of one of the sales women - an older woman with dark hair and a little too much make-up. She came over and said, "Yes, sir. May I help you?"  
  
"Yes," Ed said with a smile, "could we see this pendant please?" Ed pointed at the pendant Carol had previously indicated.  
  
"Of course," the woman said. She took a key out of her jacket pocket, opened the display case and removed the pendant. Then she laid a swash of black felt across the top of the display case (to prevent scratching) and placed the pendant on it.  
  
Carol's hand reached out, tentatively, towards the pendant. It was almost as if she thought it would disappear if she touched it. She stroked the chain for a moment, before moving down to the pendant itself. It was a stylized heart made of gold, with diamond chips down the right side. It was a very simple pendant, but very elegant and beautiful.  
  
'Just like Carol,' Ed thought.  
  
Ed lifted it up, startling Carol who had been in a deep reverie. He lifted the pendant over her head, unclasped the chain and draped it around her neck. He re-clasped the chain as the saleswoman turned a small mirror so Carol could see herself wearing the pendant.  
  
When she saw herself in the mirror, Carol's eyes misted up. Her father had always told her how much she resembled her late mother, but Carol had never really believed him. Now, looking at her reflection in the sales counter mirror, she understood. Wearing that pendant, she felt like her mother was standing next to her. The tears she'd been trying so hard to hold back, came fully now.  
  
Carol lifted the heart in her hand and lowered her head to look at it. As she did so, she glanced at the price tag. Her eyes closed sadly as she knew she would never be able to afford it. She removed the pendant and handed it back to the sales woman - who, after witnessing Carol's reaction seemed to almost be in tears herself.  
  
"Thank you, its lovely. But, I don't think so," Carol managed to say.  
  
As they were moving away from the glass displays, Ed asked, "Carol? What's the matter? For a moment, while you were wearing that pendant you seemed very happy. What happened?"  
  
"Yes, I did," Carol said, "but did you see the price?! I couldn't afford something like that!"  
  
Ed was about to offer to buy the pendant for her, but stopped. 'No,' he thought, 'Carol would never agree to it.'  
  
****  
  
They stayed at Macy's a while longer. Carol, Ed saw, pretended to be over the emotion of the events at the jewelry counter. They went to several other departments, where Carol found a couple of small gifts for her father, Nancy and Molly. Ed found something for Nancy as well.  
  
As they were walking out of the store, Ed told Carol, that he knew of a little café not far away where they could get lunch. Carol nodded. All that walking had given her an appetite.  
  
As they strolled down the street to the café, Ed noticed some mistletoe hanging from an awning of a nearby store. He smiled to himself, knowing that they would have to pass under it to get to the café.  
  
Just as they walked under the awning, Ed stopped suddenly. So suddenly that Carol who had kept walking, had almost been jerked backwards.  
  
"Ed? Is there something wrong?"  
  
"Nope." Ed replied and quickly placed a very sweet, very chaste kiss on her right cheek.  
  
"What," Carol said, her throat not working, "What was that for?"  
  
"Because," Ed said, "you're standing under mistletoe."  
  
Carol pretended to be angry with him. "You ... You ... You kissed me because we happened to walk under some mistletoe?" But it wasn't that she was bothered by the kiss. In fact, since the moment at the jewelry counter when she saw how Ed had looked at her, she'd wanted him to kiss her ... to hold her.  
  
But that. THAT wasn't even a real kiss! 'Wait,' she thought, 'why am I so worked up over this?'  
  
"Carol," Ed began,"...it's a Christmas tradition that goes back hundreds of years. And while you my dear Ms. Vessey (she smiled inwardly as he said the word 'dear') may wish to flaunt the cherished beliefs of our forefathers... I, Edward Jeremy Stevens, will not. Therefore I had no choice but to kiss you."  
  
"No choice, huh?" Carol asked, thoroughly amused.  
  
"None whatsoever." Ed replied, "You're not mad are you?"  
  
Carol simply smiled back and said, "No Ed, its okay. You just surprised me, that's all."  
  
"Oh," Ed said, "sorry."  
  
****  
  
They finished walking the rest of the way to the café and went inside. The interior of the café was simply lovely. The walls were a warm, golden oak. Thick curtains of deep burgundy brocade were spaced along the wall. Lighting - very romantic mood lighting - was provided by the elegant, brushed gold wall sconces. In general, the tables were small - most of them for two persons only - and set with in matching colors to the walls (a warm, golden tablecloth overlaid by a burgundy square). Fresh flowers and votive candles adorned every table.  
  
Once again, Carol found herself impressed by Ed's choice of restaurants. A waitress conducted them to a quiet, but not secluded, table near the back, and they ordered lunch.  
  
When their food arrived Carol inquired how Ed had first found this place. After a long pause, he smiled and confessed that he'd never actually been inside the café before now, but that he'd driven by it a dozen times in the last few weeks and finally decided today would be the day to try it. Ed left out the part of his explanation where he knew that the café was terribly romantic and that the only reason he hadn't been inside before now was that he'd been waiting for just the right person to share it with.  
  
After a few more minutes, the conversation turned to their failed relationships.  
  
Carol spoke more about her relationship with Nick, how it had seemed at first a fairy tale thing. Being with a famous author like Nick was exciting for her. But, after a while, she had heard all of his stories - which he never stopped telling by the way - and she began to feel like there was something missing from the relationship.  
  
With a look at Ed she said, "Alright. More than something. Everything. Everything was missing."  
  
It pained Carol to have to admit that the seven years she'd been with Nick had been wasted time. She looked across the table at Ed, who simply placed his hand over hers and looked at her with such incredible empathy she thought she might cry.  
  
For his part, Ed spoke more about the reasons behind his failed marriage to Liz. The long hours at Farmer & Sheehan trying to make a name for himself, a nagging feeling that he was spending too much time trying to be someone he wasn't, and a recurring doubt that Liz wasn't the one he was meant to be with.  
  
With a sigh, Ed said, "In a way, its all my fault. I compromised."  
  
"What do you mean?" Carol asked.  
  
"For as long as I can remember, I had this image of the woman I'd spend the rest of my life with. I knew Liz didn't fit it completely and I compromised. You can't compromise on the girl."  
  
"So," Carol said, "what is this ideal woman like?"  
  
Ed just looked at Carol and didn't answer. She had the feeling that Ed was trying to tell her something, but didn't want to push the matter.  
  
"How did you two meet," Carol asked, "Was it love at first sight?"  
  
"No," Ed said, "That's only happened to me once."  
  
Before Carol could ask about that, Ed continued on, "No, we went to college together. I saw her in the student union one day and decided to ask her out."  
  
"And she said yes?"  
  
"What do you mean? Of course, she said yes!" Ed said feigning insult. "I think we've already established that I'm a very handsome guy. In fact now that I think about it - I've decided that I think Tom Hanks should play me in the movie."  
  
Carol laughed, "I didn't mean it THAT way, Ed. I mean did she say yes right away or did she say no because she had a boyfriend or something..." Carol winced, she'd hoped that didn't make Ed think about finding Liz in bed with a mailman. Not THE mailman, she reminded herself, a mailman. Ed was always very specific on that one point.  
  
They finished lunch and Ed paid the tab. 'Again,' Carol thought. 'He's not letting me pay for anything except for my Christmas gifts!'  
  
As soon as they stepped outside the café, Ed pointed east and said, "This way a little bit." They walked, Carol's left arm curled around Ed's right. She found herself wanting to just kind of lean into him, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. 'Oh, what the hell,' she thought, and placed her head against his shoulder as they continued walking along the street.  
  
Ed looked down at her and smiled. He was glad that Carol's head was against his RIGHT shoulder - otherwise, she'd probably hear his heart beating like a jackhammer.  
  
Ed and Carol walked along until they reached 38th Street and turned right, heading towards the Lord & Taylor. Carol absorbed everything she saw as they walked. When Ed noted her intense interest in everything around her, she told him it was so that she could accurately portray it in a book but she really wanted to remember because of the almost overwhelming joy she was finding in her moments with Ed.  
  
The streets were surprisingly clean of snow (Ed explained that the city hauled most of it away for dumping into the Hudson). However, a few scattered patches lined the streets. Festive decorations of every kind (Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa) hung from stores, apartments, and office buildings. The air was crisp and clean - Ed laughed and told her that was because it was winter. The angle of the sun made everything glitter. Carol started to feel like she was in a fairy tale story, with Ed the knight in shining armor next to her. She sighed quietly in contentment.  
  
When they finally got to the Lord & Taylor, they joined the small crowd of people gathered outside the store and watched the window display - a series of vignettes from Santa's workshop at the North Pole: Elves making toys, Santa's reindeer, Santa and Mrs. Claus looking over the list and making little Naughty/Nice notes.  
  
"So," Carol asked as they were looking at the last scene, "Does Santa have you on his 'naughty' or his 'nice' list?"  
  
"It depends ..."  
  
"On what ..."  
  
"On whether or not you keep resting your head against my shoulder," Ed replied, wiggling his eyebrows for added emphasis.  
  
Carol laughed.  
  
They finally went inside and did some more shopping. Carol got something for Stella while Ed picked up something for Jerry Pender and his family as well as for his father.  
  
After they finished in Lord & Taylor, Ed hailed a cab. As soon as they got in, Ed told the driver, "FAO Schwartz, please." A few harrowing minutes later - 'Good God!' Carol thought, 'they do ALL drive like this!' - the cab pulled up in front of FAO Schwartz, the famous toy store just south of Central Park.  
  
Once inside, Carol was amazed at the sheer size of the store and her mouth dropped open when she saw the Barbie section. 'Section, hell!' Carol thought. 'I've died and gone to Barbie HEAVEN! No wonder Mom and Dad never wanted to come in here when Dad brought us along with him to New York on business - they NEVER would have been able to get us out of the store. Stell and I would have wanted to stay and play with EVERYTHING!'  
  
Ed and Carol wandered around. They split up with plans to meet back in 20 minutes by the gigantic teddy bear. "By his right foot," Ed cautioned. "This bear is so big that we could be standing on opposite sides of him and never know it."  
  
After 20 minutes, they found one another again and Carol laughed when Ed showed her the gag present he'd bought for Mike Burton - the new Operation- Brain Surgery Game by Milton Bradley. And over Carol's objections, Ed had bought her a rare collector's edition Barbie that had been designed by Vera Wang.  
  
Then they both found something for little Sarah Burton.  
  
It was close to 5:30 PM, when they finally walked out of FAO Shwartz, the sun was dipping below the horizon. The temperature, not that high to begin with, had already started to drop. They both decided they'd had enough shopping for one day.  
  
As they were waiting to hail down a cab, Ed turned to Carol and asked, "Do you want to see Rockefeller Center. Its really pretty this time of the year. They go all out on the decorations and there's the Christmas tree, and the heraldic angels lining the ice skating rink. I think you'd like it!"  
  
"Um, yeah," Carol said hesitantly and looked at the packages she and Ed - well, mostly Ed - were carrying.  
  
Ed saw her glance and said, "Mm, good point. Wait ... We can drop them off at my apartment. It just so happens that it's on the way to Rockefeller Center."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Carol said with a smile. And then thought if it had been anyone else - she'd have turned them down flat suspecting they'd just wanted to get her alone in their apartment. But Ed was different, she'd only known him a few days and even if he did have an ulterior motive behind his suggestion, she trusted him enough to know with absolute certainty that he'd still conduct himself as a gentleman.  
  
Besides, it wasn't like the thought of getting him alone in an apartment hadn't occurred to HER either.  
  
The cab ride down Fifth Avenue was mercifully short and within moments they were standing outside an apartment complex on the corner of Fifth and 52nd Street.  
  
"Well," Ed said and pointed up. "There I am."  
  
They walked into the lobby of the building. The doorman, who looked to be in his early 60s, said, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Stevens."  
  
"Merry Christmas, Henry," Ed returned. "How are Mary-Margaret and the twins?" Carol gave a polite wave.  
  
Henry had full head of silver hair and a kind face. He was also a tall man, about six foot four. Although, no longer trim, it was obvious that in his youth he must have been an athlete. He looked at Carol, "My daughter and her kids," he offered as an explanation, his brown eyes twinkling with pride. Carol nodded. Then he turned back to Ed and said, "Just fine, sir. Just fine. Do you and the lady need some help with your packages? I could call one of the other lads to give you a hand?" He started reaching for his walkie-talkie.  
  
"No, Henry I think we can manage. Thank you anyway. You make sure you get one of the younger guys to relieve you tonight, I don't want to hear about you standing outside till all hours of the night again."  
  
"No sir, I won't." Henry looked over at Carol and then pointed at Ed, "He's such a worry wort. He is."  
  
Ed and Carol walked into the lobby and took the elevator up to the 10th floor. On the way, Ed told Carol about how, a few years earlier, Henry had stopped a woman from being mugged and was something of a local hero in the building. Carol smiled, comforted by the fact that for every creep like Victor Knight, there were at least two decent guys like Ed and Henry.  
  
Just as they reached the door to his apartment, Ed stopped and turned back around to Carol. He lowered his eyes to her and said, "Carol, before we go in I have a confession to make..."  
  
'Here it comes' thought Carol, expecting Ed to say that he was hoping to do more than just drop their packages off.  
  
"I'd really like to show you the apartment, but since Saturday is my normal cleaning day and I have spent said day with you its ... Well, it's a pig sty. You might see my skivvies if you come in."  
  
"Your skivvies?" Carol said, taken totally by surprise.  
  
"Of course." Ed replied, "What? You were expecting me to confess to something else?"  
  
"No. Of course, not. I would NEVER suggest that you ..." Carol said, defensively. Then realized that her phrasing gave everything away.  
  
"You did! You thought the reason I asked you to come up here was so that you and I would ... That you would ..."  
  
"See your skivvies?" Carol offered as an appropriate euphemism for more intimate relations. Then couldn't help laughing  
  
"Exactly!" Ed tried to remain serious, but Carol's laugh was too infectious and he could no longer contain himself.  
  
They stood in the hallway laughing for several minutes, their faces turning bright red. Finally, Ed stopped himself long enough to get his keys out of his jacket and unlock the door. "We'd better get inside before someone calls the Super" he told Carol.  
  
As they walked in, Ed switched on the inside hallway light. Carol looked around, surprised. The hallway lead into a larger living/dining room combination. And while it wasn't spotless, it was no where close to the disaster area she'd imagined when Ed had made his 'confession'.  
  
"I thought you said this place was a pig sty?" Carol asked.  
  
"Yes, I did say that," Ed said with a smile.  
  
Carol rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, just stash the loot there, chief!"  
  
Ed went over to the dining room table, chuckling, and laid their packages neatly into two piles. Ed told her, "I'll give you the two dollar tour some other time. Let's go."  
  
They headed back down stairs and continued down Fifth Avenue. The closer they got to Rockefeller Center, the more crowded it became. The huge Christmas tree, festooned with over 75,000 lights was a must-see for anyone visiting the city. Ed and Carol walked under the horn-blowing angels which lined the plaza leading up to the tree.  
  
As they moved further into the plaza, Carol's head moved from left to right taking in the sights. They stood by a railing above the ice skating rink and she just absorbed the feeling ... the ambience of the place. When a chill wind whipped down the plaza, Carol snuggled up to Ed, who put his arm around her to help warm her.  
  
After a little while, Ed looked down at people ice-skating and said, "Come on, let's go." He grabbed Carol's hand before she knew what was going on and headed down the stairs.  
  
Carol suddenly realized that Ed was taking her to the rink!  
  
'But, but...' she thought despairingly, 'I don't know HOW to ice skate!'  
  
The look of dread on her face only worsened as she watched as Ed paid for time on the rink and rental skates.  
  
They were halfway through lacing up their skates, when she decided to come clean, "Um, Ed?"  
  
"Yeah, Carol," Ed said.  
  
"I, uh ... I don't actually know how to skate," Carol said in a small voice.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Ed asked. But one look at Carol's face told him the answer.  
  
"Oh," Ed continued. "No problem! Look its not that hard. I'll be right there. If you fall, I'll catch you, okay?"  
  
Carol smiled, mostly because she really liked the unintended double meaning of Ed's last statement.  
  
They moved slowly onto the ice, Carol clutching Ed's arm. Ed kept telling her to relax.  
  
'Relax? Relax?!!!!' Carol thought. 'How can I 'relax' when my feet keep going in seventeen different directions!'  
  
As Ed helped Carol around the rink, he alternated between steadying her and giving her pointers. As they reached the halfway point, they passed a man with a video camera taping his two kids as they spun around in twirls and skated backwards.  
  
'Damn showoffs,' Carol thought. Then had a feeling of complete and utter dread as she realized that her skating skills might become fodder for some Funniest Videos show. 'Oh, great! I can see the caption now - No people were harmed during the making of this video - with the possible exception of the spastic blond English teacher from Ohio!'  
  
As they completed their first circuit around, Carol had managed to avoid falling - barely - no less than 23 times (by Ed's count). True to his word, Ed had saved her every time. Even her two more spectacular attempts which had almost taken him down with her.  
  
Carol was feeling very frustrated and embarrassed. She watched Ed, who glided across the ice as if he'd born on skates. "How come you're so good at this?" she glared.  
  
Ed grinned. "I'm more graceful than most men," he offered.  
  
Carol took a mock swipe at Ed for his smugness and started a wild gyration to maintain her balance. Ed slipped in and barely caught her before she completely lost her footing.  
  
Carol sighed and said, "You're making a habit of saving me, MISTER Stevens."  
  
"Don't read too much into it, MS. Vessey", he replied grinning, "I'm just protecting my professional reputation as a skating coach." As he finished his statement he skated backwards and out of arm's reach of Carol.  
  
She started to take another swipe at him, but Ed held up his finger and said, "Ah, ah! Temper. Temper."  
  
Ed continued to lead Carol in circuits around the ice. The longer they were there, the better Carol got. Their last circuit around Carol made it on her own and, except for a small wobble at the end, without mishap. Feeling more confident in her ability to do more on the ice than just fall down, she started to enjoy herself.  
  
Carol took Ed's arm as they got off the ice. As they were taking their skates off, a rumble sounded from Carol's stomach. She looked embarrassed, but Ed just said, "I'm feeling a might 'peckish' myself. I know a place where we can stuff our faces with so much MSG that we'll see birds!"  
  
With that, Ed took Carol to a little Chinese place about two blocks away where they did in fact, stuff themselves on steamed vegetable dumplings, shrimp with lobster sauce, and sweet and sour pork.  
  
While they ate, the continued to talk, their topics ranging further and further a field: politics, religion, taxes, the growing popularity of reality shows, the proper condiment for a hot dog, their favorite breakfast food - both agreed that you just couldn't top waffles, etc. etc. etc.  
  
They were so engrossed in each other's company that they hadn't realized how much time had passed or that now they were the only people still sitting in the restaurant! They decided to leave, Ed paid for dinner - again - much to Carol's growing consternation.  
  
They stopped off at Ed's place to pick up Carol's packages, and then they took a cab - a surprisingly cautious one this time - back to Carol's hotel. Before either of them wanted to, they reached Carol's room.  
  
This time is was Ed who kissed Carol, returning the kiss from Thursday night.  
  
"I had a *really* wonderful time today, Ed," Carol said softly, earnestly.  
  
"Yeah, me too," Ed said with a smile.  
  
Carol looked into Ed's blue, blue eyes and felt barriers dropping one by one. She was about to ask Ed to come into her room, when Ed said, "I should let you get some sleep."  
  
Ed's comment shook Carol out of the almost hypnotic trance she had been in. She was torn between relief at NOT asking Ed into her room and regret at NOT asking Ed into her room. 'What is wrong with me?' she thought. 'He's a great guy! Jump him before someone else does!' She was shocked at her own thoughts!  
  
Finally Carol said, "No. I'm the one who should let YOU get some sleep. I was the one who suggested today and dragged you all over the city. You probably even hurt yourself trying to teach me how to skate."  
  
"Carol," Ed said with a smile, "I really had a great time today. I wouldn't have changed any part of it."  
  
"Even the time I almost fell and elbowed you in the ..." Carol asked.  
  
"Well okay, maybe not THAT, but I'd gladly risk another injury for another day like today."  
  
"Really?" Carol asked.  
  
"Really." Ed said. "In fact, if you'd like to do some more sightseeing, we could go again tomorrow, if you're not too...?"  
  
"Okay," Carol fired back, before Ed was even finished.  
  
"Great," Ed said, pleasantly surprised by her acquiescence. "Let's say after lunch - one o'clock? I have a few errands to run in the morning and I want spend some more time with your contract - I'm about half way through."  
  
"One o'clock it is, Mr. Stevens," Carol said with a large smile.  
  
"Okay. Good night, Ms. Vessey," Ed said returning her adoption of formal titles.  
  
"Good night, Ed." Carol said as she started to unlock her door.  
  
Ed turned to walk away, when he heard Carol call his name. He turned around to find Carol still standing there at her door.  
  
"You know," Carol said in a slightly husky voice, "You surprised me earlier under the mistletoe and I completely forgot."  
  
"Forgot what?" Ed asked.  
  
With a smile, Carol said, "To kiss you back, silly." And with that Carol stepped in towards Ed. Gazing softly into his blue eyes, she reached back around his neck and brought his face down to meet hers. As she did so, she tipped her head back and slightly to the right and brought her lips, slightly parted, to his. Reflexively, Ed's hands moved to Carol's waist. They kissed passionately for several moments - neither wanting the moment to end.  
  
Finally they pulled away from one another. Carol, still gazing softly at Ed, backed slowly into her room, and closed the door quietly behind her.  
  
Ed stood in the hallway for several minutes. It had taken him that long just to remember who he was and how to get home. Slowly, as if he was having trouble remembering how to make his legs move, he walked back towards the elevator.  
  
Carol watched him go through the peephole in her door. When she was sure he had made it to the elevator, she turned and leaned back against the door.  
  
"Now THAT is how you're supposed to kiss someone under the mistletoe!" she said softly. 


	9. Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE  
  
New York City - Ed's apartment  
  
December 17, 2000  
  
10:00 AM  
  
Ed threw the faux-leather contract binder down on his dining room table with disgust. He stood up and began pacing back and forth, only stopping long enough to get a bottle of water from his refrigerator. He had spent the last three hours looking over Knight Publishing's "standard contract form" - the contract Carol had asked him to review, and he could come to only one conclusion ...  
  
Victor Knight and Knight Publishing Associates were crooks.  
  
Of course, at first he didn't want to believe it. He wanted to think that the contract was just badly written. That it was just a case of him being over-protective of Carol. But as he kept reading, he began to realize that his initial gut feeling had been correct. The contract wasn't badly written. On the contrary, it had been very *cleverly* written to mislead someone into thinking that it had only been "badly written".  
  
The language in the sections on intellectual property were positively labyrinthine. Even Ed, an experienced attorney, had found it difficult keeping everything straight. But, from what he could tell, Knight Publishing would own - if Carol signed the contract, that is - all legal rights to any characters and/or "worlds" she created. And Knight Publishing could decide to have another writer use those characters at any time.  
  
That, coupled with a one way termination clause which Ed found buried in the small print on page eighty-seven meant that Knight Publishing could literally steal Carol's book right out from under her.  
  
Ed sighed heavily. He was in a difficult situation. Carol had invested so much of herself in coming to New York. He didn't want to be the one to tell her that her publishers were crooks who would most likely steal her creations and leave her with next to nothing. She would be devastated.  
  
And of course, he couldn't NOT tell Carol what he'd found either.  
  
"Damn," Ed said. "Sometimes life is particularly good at sucking," and he went back to pacing.  
  
After about a half hour, he decided he would hold off telling Carol what he'd found. He still had a few days before she was supposed to sign the contract, and Knight Publishing wasn't the only one with resources. Maybe he could find something that could help. Ed got ready and headed out the door to pick up Carol at about 12:30. He was already out of his apartment and waiting on the elevator when the phone in his apartment began ringing.  
  
On the fourth ring, the answering machine picked up.  
  
"Hi, you've reached the home of Ed Stevens. Leave a message after the tone," Ed's recorded voice said.  
  
"Hey, Ed, its Mike," Mike said. "Are you there? (a pause) Nope. Okay, look buddy, give me a call. Got a question or two for you. Nothing important - just trying to find out if you and Carol Vessey slept together. Ow! Nance! Oh, um, call me, okay Ed?"  
  
***  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel December 17, 2000 12:00 PM  
  
At a small desk in her hotel room, Carol Vessey typed furiously on her laptop. Next to her, were the remnants of the lunch she'd bought at the deli just down the street - a tuna salad on rye bread, a small bag of chips and a coke.  
  
She'd woken early and almost immediately found herself inspired to work on her novel - the romantic thriller about the novelist and the enigmatic dark- haired lawyer. Carol remembered how she'd smiled excitedly as she'd opened her laptop. Never, before coming to New York, had she experienced such an intense burst of creativity. Back in Stuckeyville, she'd hit little pockets of inspiration, but nothing this sustained. Was it that she just needed a change of scenery? The excitement of being in the big city? Or was it something else? Or should she say *someone* else?  
  
She smiled, remembering the kiss she'd given Ed at the end of their day together yesterday. There was something about him, something that made her feel excited and scared at the same time. She'd never felt that way about anyone before. Not with Nick. Not in college. Not even in high school.  
  
She looked back down at her laptop, she was making such excellent progress on her novel that there was a good chance she'd finish it before her flight home.  
  
'Wouldn't that be something' she thought. 'Stepping off the plane, and meeting Molly at the airport. She'll ask what I did in New York and I'll nonchalantly say 'Oh nothing much. Saw the sights. Did a little Christmas shopping. Signed a book deal. Met a great guy. Wrote a novel.'  
  
Carol laughed, imagining Molly's reaction.  
  
'And speaking of the great guy,' Carol thought, 'he'll be here any minute now and I have no idea what he's planned. I'd better get a move on.'  
  
She took a quick shower. Then dressed in jeans, comfortable boots, a red turtle neck, and a dark green cardigan. 'Well,' she thought, admiring herself in the mirror 'don't I look festive.'  
  
She sat back down in front of her computer. Passing the time, by proof- reading the chapter she'd just finished - she liked to call it "the big courtroom scene". Then on a whim, she opened another file. She was just about to re-read the chapter with the "steamy love scene" - just to proof- read it, she told herself - when there was a knock at her door. It was Ed, right on time - as always.  
  
"Good morning ... " Carol said as she opened the door.  
  
"Hey, Carol," Ed replied, smiling back. Then he from behind his back, he produced a bouquet of roses - complete with vase - and presented them to Carol, "These are for you."  
  
"Oh, Ed" Carol said, taking the flowers, "They're lovely. Thank you!" Ed followed Carol as she carried the flowers into the room and set them on the coffee table, right next to the plant he had given her the day before.  
  
"So, Mr. Tour Guide, what's on the agenda for today?"  
  
"Well," Ed said, "I thought maybe just some more general sightseeing - we could head downtown this time - the Empire State Building for instance."  
  
"Ooh," Carol said. "Then could we go to the World Trade Center? I hear its quite a view."  
  
"Oh," Ed replied casually, "I figured that since we'd be going there tomorrow night for dinner, we could do that then." He paused, and added hesitantly, "That is... If you're free for dinner tomorrow night at 'Windows on the World'?"  
  
Carol was caught off guard. She really had been only joking when she'd suggested having dinner there, and now she felt like she had pressured him into taking her. "Ed, that would be wonderful .... but, I don't want you spending all your money on me."  
  
Ed held up his hand to silence her, "Carol, I thought we'd gone over this? I want to take you to Windows on the World for dinner. Sure you may have SAID it first, but I promise you that I thought of it first."  
  
"Really?" Carol asked, still unsure that she hadn't pressured him into suggesting it.  
  
"Really," Ed stated confidently.  
  
Carol saw the look on Ed's face - it was the same one he'd had when, over Carol's most strident objections, he'd bought her the Vera Wang Barbie at FAO Schwartz. She knew that there was no use in arguing about with him. His mind was made up. She smiled, but still felt guilty that Ed wasn't letting her share in the expenses.  
  
"As for the rest of today," Ed said, "dinner is open for discussion but we have to be at Radio City Music Hall by five o'clock."  
  
"Why? What's at five o'clock?" Carol asked.  
  
Ed smiled and reached into his jacket pocket. He produced what looked like theater tickets and waved them in the air, "Why Ms. Vessey, none other than the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular! You can't be in New York at Christmas time and not go. It would be... Well, it would be un-American!"  
  
"I'm missing the connection between high-kicking beautiful women and patriotism," Carol said, slightly confused.  
  
"That's because you've never been a red-blooded teenaged American boy," Ed stated matter-of-factly. Then winked suggestively and nudged Carol in the arm.  
  
"ED!" she started to laugh. Then grabbed her coat and pushed him out the door of her hotel room.  
  
***  
  
Once outside, they took a cab to the Empire State Building. As Carol got out of the cab and looked up, she tried to say something but was in awe at the sheer size of the building.  
  
"That..." she finally managed to get out  
  
"Hmm?" Ed said.  
  
"That is ..." She said fumbling again.  
  
"Oh." He looked over at Carol, "Yeah. That is one TALL building. Isn't it?" Ed offered.  
  
"Yes. Thank you." Carol said meekly, embarrassed at how she must seem to Ed just now.  
  
"Don't mention it." They started walking towards the entrance. Ed looked down at Carol, and as if sensing her embarrassment, leaned in close and whispered "I had almost the exact same reaction when I first saw the Empire State Building too."  
  
"Almost?"  
  
"I ... I may or may not have asked someone if they'd seen any giant gorillas lately," Ed admitted.  
  
"I can't believe you did that?" Carol said, the embarrassment of a moment ago disappearing completely in the face of Ed's offbeat humor.  
  
"Well if YOU think I'm going to the top of the Empire State Building with a beautiful blonde WITHOUT first checking if there's been any recent sightings of giant gorillas, you have another thing coming, my dear Ms. Vessey."  
  
"You ... You think I'm beautiful?" Carol asked, caught completely off her guard by the way Ed had managed to sneak the compliment into the conversation.  
  
"I don't THINK anything of the sort ..." Ed replied, not needing to finish the rest of the sentence. He took Carol's arm and conducted her into the building's lobby where they joined a tour group on their way to the 86th floor observatory.  
  
As they were riding up in the elevator, Ed felt Carol latch on to his right arm tightly. When the elevator reached the observation deck and the doors opened, Carol froze.  
  
"Ed..." Carol said, her voice tinged with fear.  
  
"Carol is something wrong?" Ed asked.  
  
"I think I there's something I should tell you."  
  
"You're afraid of heights."  
  
"I'm afraid of hei---...", Carol started to admit, "Wait, how did you know I was going to say that?"  
  
"Let's just say I got my first clue 30 floors ago, when you started cutting off the circulation in my right arm." He smiled at her and shrugged his right shoulder, indicating how tightly she'd been holding onto him.  
  
"I'm sorry. I just ... I got scared." she admitted.  
  
"It's alright. You know I won't let anything happen to you up here, right?"  
  
Carol nodded.  
  
"Good. Now c'mon. Let's go see New York." And he began to lead her out onto the observation deck. Only to be jerked to a stop by Carol, who remained frozen in the elevator. 'Okay ....' he thought with amusement, 'this is going to be a little bit more difficult than I thought.' However, the amused look on his face vanished when he turned around and saw her face. She wasn't just scared, she was *terrified*.  
  
Slowly, Ed pulled his arm free and then turned to face Carol fully, blocking her view outside. As he did, he noticed that the elevator attendant was now politely ignoring them. 'Of course," Ed imagined, 'he's obviously seen this a million times by now.'  
  
"Carol?" Ed said, but got no response. "CAROL," he repeated in a stronger voice, gently taking her shoulders in his hands.  
  
Her eyes jerked up to look into his.  
  
"Carol," Ed said softly, "its okay. We can go downstairs if you want. It's okay."  
  
Carol continued to look into Ed's eyes - she saw concern there, warmth, humor...and something else. She couldn't place it. 'Love?' she thought.  
  
Looking into Ed's eyes, she found a strength she didn't know she had. She took a deep breath and said, "No, I want to do this. I want see the view. I'm okay, just stay with me."  
  
"I'm right here," Ed said. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
With another deep breath and another look into his eyes, she took his arm again and moved forward. As they exited the elevator, Ed nodded at the attendant, who nodded back and gave them a smile.  
  
They stepped out onto the observation platform. The cold wind hit them - being so high up it was a few degrees cooler than on the street. Carol looked around, holding onto Ed's arm tightly. When she felt panic rising, she pictured Ed's face as she had seen it only moments ago - and the panic eased.  
  
She continued to look around and remembered to loosen her hold a little on Ed's arm. When he felt her loosen her grip he looked down at her and smiled - with maybe a hint of relief. Carol found herself starting to enjoy it. They moved closer to the edge of the observation deck so they could get a better view.  
  
Ed felt Carol's gasp and looked down at her concerned. He was surprised to note that her expression showed awe, not fear, and he smiled. She looked up at him and said, "It's so beautiful!" She didn't notice that she wasn't scared anymore.  
  
"Yes," Ed said, almost reverently.  
  
Carol turned to look at Ed again. His eyes were riveted on her. She blushed deeply, realizing that Ed hadn't been looking at the cityscape when he'd agreed with her.  
  
They spent a few more minutes looking around, moving to look from different sides and angles. Finally, they headed for the elevator banks and a ride down to the ground level. They had just finished the tour and were walking back outside, when Ed's cell phone rang. He took it out and looked at it - then sighed.  
  
"It's my office," Ed said in exasperation. "This will take just a second."  
  
Ed answered the phone, "Hello? Jerry? What do you need? What? No! Because I'm busy, that's why. We're at the Empire State Building. What? (Slight pause) None of your business! What do you need? What? No. Oh that's ridiculous! It can't wait until Monday? You're kidding? Did Farmer personally tell you to have me look over the documents? He did? And he needs them first thing tomorrow morning? Damn."  
  
Ed sighed and continued, "Okay, how many pages? Thirty? Okay, that's do- able. Yes. I'll stop in. (Pause) I said YES, didn't I? I'll be there in twenty minutes. Yes, I know you're sorry. Bye."  
  
Ed hung up and looked at the phone as he sighed.  
  
Carol said, "Ed, its okay. I understand if you need to cancel." Disappointment was clearly evident in her tone, despite her best efforts to hide it.  
  
"What?" Ed said. "No. No need to cancel. We're just going to have to swing by my office so I can look over a contract that one of the partners wants me to review. It won't take long, really."  
  
Carol just looked at Ed as if asking 'Are you sure?'  
  
"Really," Ed re-affirmed.  
  
"I don't want to interfere with your work - we can cancel if you want."  
  
"But I don't 'want'," Ed replied. "I don't want to cancel the rest of our day." He took Carol's hands in his. "And we've been over this before. You are not interfering - not now. Not EVER. This will just take a second, I need to read something Jerry wrote, check it to make sure all his t's are crossed and i's dotted. Twenty minutes. I promise."  
  
Ed and Carol took a cab to the Manhattan offices of Farmer & Sheehan. They rode the elevator up to the 33rd floor, both reminiscing about their first trip in the elevator together. When they reached the 33rd floor, Ed pulled out his keys to let them into the office, but noticed that the doors were already unlocked. As they walked in, Carol was surprised at the number of people (nearly twenty) working there on a Sunday.  
  
Ed's friend, Jerry was waiting for them just inside the lobby. Ed made a few introductions.  
  
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Carol. We've heard SO MUCH about you," Jerry said, casting an amused glance back at Ed.  
  
Carol was a little flustered, "Its nice to meet you as well."  
  
"Jerry? The contracts ...?" Ed interjected.  
  
"Oh. Right. The contracts. They're already in your office."  
  
Ed turned to Carol. "Carol, you can sit in one of the conference rooms if you'd like. I won't be long (he glanced at Jerry) - promise." He started walking toward his office.  
  
"Okay, Ed," Carol said. "Take as long as you need to."  
  
Jerry waited until Ed had closed the door to his office, then he turned to Carol. He looked at her for a minute or two, as if he was unsure of what he wanted to say. Then he finally said. "Uh, sorry about that 'SO MUCH' bit back there. It's just that Ed's a really great boss and everybody here really likes him and ... Well, what I mean to say is that after the break- up with Liz ... it just hit him hard and since you've been around him it's been ... He's been ... different. Better. I just wanted to say, thanks."  
  
Carol didn't know what to say to THAT.  
  
Sensing her discomfort, Jerry added. "Well I'd better get back there with Ed, sometimes he has trouble reading my handwriting." He smiled again at Carol, then hurried towards Ed's office.  
  
Carol walked over to one of the open conference rooms across the hall from Ed's office and sat down in the nearest convenient chair. To pass the time, she started thinking about the next chapter of her novel. She took out the small notebook she kept in her purse and was jotting down a few thoughts, when she looked up to see an attractive brunette in a dark business suit (possibly Tahari), walking towards her.  
  
"You must that Ms. Venney, we've all heard so much about," Miranda said, trying her best to hide her contempt for the 'country bumpkin' sitting in Farmer & Sheehan's conference room.  
  
"Um," Carol said. "Its Vessey actually."  
  
"Sorry. I'm Miranda Van Note, I'm one of the lawyers in Ed's ... I mean Mr. Steven's section." She held out her hand in greeting, "I just wanted to come over and see if there was anything I can do for you til Ed finishes his meeting with Jerry. Some coffee?" She asked, wondering if 'Little Miss Stuckeyville, Queen of the 4H Fair' took cream and sugar.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Carol replied, although she really didn't think so. Something about this woman was setting off all sorts of alarms in Carol's head. The name also sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Uh. No, thank you. I'm fine. Ed said he'd only be a few minutes."  
  
"Don't be too sure about that ... these things have a way of turning into all-day affairs," Miranda said condescendingly. "So, how long are you in town for?"  
  
"Oh," Carol said, "just a couple of more days. I fly home to Stuckeyville on Wednesday." Carol didn't see the sneer that crossed Miranda's face at the mention of Stuckeyville.  
  
'Good. The sooner Pom-Pom Barbie was back in Hicksville, the better,' Miranda decided. She was about to make a strategic exit when Carol looked towards Ed's office and sighed, "I wish Ed could get away during the holidays and come visit Stuckeyville. There's a lot of people that would be really happy to see him."  
  
'Well, I'm sure there is ONE person who'd like to see him in Stuckeyville,' Miranda thought to herself, then replied "It's hard to find time to get away. Especially when you're as successful as Ed ... I mean, Mr. Stevens is."  
  
"It's just that he seems to work so hard, I don't think he's getting enough time off."  
  
"What makes you think Ed's not getting enough time off?" Miranda asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure," Carol said. "He just always seems on the go, it's hard for me to imagine him having a lot of free time."  
  
"Well," Miranda said, "that's certainly true! I practically had to drag him out of the office with me to Vermont two weeks ago. Of course, once I got him out of the office he was fine - *although*, we never did get much skiing done."  
  
Carol looked up at her. Miranda's face showed a satisfied, far away look as if she were remembering something *very* ... pleasant. She was stunned. She even thought for a second that maybe she hadn't heard her right. Was she implying that she and Ed... That Ed and her ... That they'd ...?  
  
She shuddered.  
  
Miranda smiled as she noted Carol's discomfort. She'd lied of course. There *was* a ski-trip to Vermont and *she* had been there, but Ed was a hundred miles away - working. Finally she said, "Well, it was nice to have met you. Enjoy the rest of your stay here in New York, Ms. Venney."  
  
Carol distractedly corrected her, "It's Vessey."  
  
"Right," Miranda said and smiled sweetly.  
  
As Miranda walked away, Carol's brain reeled. She had a hard time picturing Ed with someone like Miranda. 'Buy why not', she thought. 'After Liz broke his heart, anything was possible. Why wouldn't he date and do other ... STUFF with another woman'.  
  
'Stuff?' What was happening to her? Why was the thought of Ed being with another woman so disturbing? Was it just a simple case of jealousy? Miranda *was* pretty and obviously smart - she'd have to be to work at Farmer & Sheehan. But Ed seemed interested in her now. At least she thought he was. They were spending an awful lot of time together lately. That should mean he's interested, right? She laughed at how silly she was behaving.  
  
'What was keeping him?' she wondered, oblivious to the fact that it had only been five minutes since Ed had disappeared into his office. She tried to go back to working on her novel, but found she couldn't concentrate on the story.  
  
A few more minutes passed. Then Carol looked up to see that *finally* (from her perspective at least, in reality it had been only about eighteen minutes), Ed and Jerry were walking out of Ed's office. Ed nodded in Carol's direction - indicating that he was just about finished and that they'd soon be on their way. He then turned to say something to Jerry and was almost blind-sided by Miranda, sending the big stack of files she'd been carrying to the floor.  
  
Both Ed and Jerry bent down to help in the recovery of the papers and Carol noticed the look on Miranda's face when she looked at Ed. She couldn't hear what was being said, but when they stood back up, she Ed saw indicate for Miranda to hold up while he finished with Jerry. As Jerry walked away, Ed and Miranda walked back into Ed's office, closing the door behind them!  
  
***  
  
Ed walked over to his desk and sat on the corner. He looked Miranda in the eye, "I need a favor."  
  
Miranda's interest was peeked. "Of course, Ed," Miranda said, "whatever you need." She stressed the word 'whatever'.  
  
"I need someone to look into Knight Publishing," Ed explained, then added, "*Discreetly*."  
  
"Anything in particular you're looking for?"  
  
"Background on their contracts with authors, any lawsuits between Knight and authors, that sort of stuff."  
  
"Of course, Ed," Miranda said. "Is this for a new client?"  
  
"No," Ed said, hesitantly. He hated asking Miranda for a favor but she was the best researcher in the firm. "It's for a friend of mine. I'm reviewing a contract for her - on my time," Ed said. "That's why I said this would be a favor to me."  
  
"Oh," Miranda said icily, "Her."  
  
"Yes", Ed said, noting her sudden dissatisfaction, "if there's a problem I'm sure I could get one of the *other* researchers to do it."  
  
"No. No of course not," Miranda covered. "I'd be happy to help. When do you need the information?"  
  
Ed's eyes narrowed, Miranda was a practiced liar, but she was also a good investigator. If anyone could turn up something to help him nail Knight Publishing to the wall - it would be her. "Sometime in the next few days."  
  
"That's not a lot of time," Miranda said, hinting that what Ed was asking for was a really BIG favor. "But ... I'll start on it tonight and have something for you either late tomorrow or early Tuesday. Is that satisfactory?"  
  
"That would be great," Ed said. "I really appreciate it, Miranda."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll think of some suitable way for you to re-pay me," she said coyly, and before Ed could respond, she opened the door and stepped out of Ed's office.  
  
Carol's head whipped around when she saw the door to Ed's office open. She saw Miranda walk out and head down a hallway and into another room - probably her own office. Carol was almost positive she had seen Miranda trying to fix her lipstick before she disappeared out of sight.  
  
Ed walked out of his office and over to Carol.  
  
"Okay," he said with a smile, "All done here."  
  
As they walked back towards the elevators, Carol made several surreptitious glances at Ed's face, looking for signs of lipstick. She found none, but was not comforted when she remembered the private bathroom in his office. Ed noticed that Carol was behaving strangely. She was guarded ... distant.  
  
When they reached the elevators, Ed hit the call button. They stood in silence for over a minute, waiting for the elevator. Ed looked at Carol again. Something was wrong. He could feel it. More than that, he couldn't take any more of the uncomfortable invisible wall that seemed to have sprung up between them.  
  
"Carol, is something wrong?"  
  
"Wrong? Why should anything be wrong?" Carol fired back defensively. Then when she'd realized how she'd said it - she turned away from him, ashamed. What was she doing, she asked herself. Ed had done nothing but be supportive, kind and sweet to her and look at how she was treating him. So what if he went on a romantic ski-trip to Vermont with that ... that ... Carol couldn't even think it. His ex-wife had ripped out his heart. He was probably hurt, confused, vulnerable. Didn't his friend Jerry say as much to her at the office?  
  
Now Ed was certain something was wrong. He traced their steps. Everything had been fine, until they'd stopped off at the firm. He'd gone into his office, leaving Carol outside with Jerry for a moment, and ...  
  
"Did Jerry say something to upset you? I swear Carol, he's a really great guy but he gets a little carried away sometimes..." There was a hint of anger in Ed's voice.  
  
Carol had to think fast. Ed was angry, not at her, but at his friends at the firm. And he should be angry with her, she was the one being petty. "No, Ed. Of course not, Jerry's really nice. I like him. He didn't say anything to upset me."  
  
Ed let out a sigh of relief, "Is it your book? It's the book, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes ... That's it exactly," she lied. "You remember earlier when I told you how the novel was just coming along great?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well ... I sort of hit a wall. I just can't seem to figure out where I want to go with the story next."  
  
"Well, I'm not a professional writer or anything. But if you ask me, it's probably just a mild case of writer's block. It'll pass."  
  
"You're probably right."  
  
"Good. Now there'll be no more talk of novels, or contracts or anything remotely business related. We're just going to go out and have fun, from now on. Agreed?"  
  
"Agreed."  
  
And they did just that. As they walked through the city, Ed noticed that Carol's spirits improved considerably. By the time they'd gotten to Radio City Music Hall, she was back to her old self. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Carol loved the Christmas Spectacular. Ed had seen it before but found he enjoyed seeing it again through Carol's eyes.  
  
Afterwards, they had dinner at a little German restaurant that Ed told her Jerry had recommended to him. Then they walked around some more. Before either of them knew it, it was ten o'clock.  
  
Carol knew that Ed had to work the next day, so she suggested that they call it a night. Ed agreed - reluctantly. They walked back to the Doubletree Hotel, arm in arm, talking and laughing.  
  
At 10:30 PM, they stood outside the door to Carol's room again trying to say goodbye but neither really wanting to. This time it was neither Ed nor Carol who made the first move to kiss the other. As if on some silent cue, they both moved forward and kissed. It was the longest of their three kisses and more intense than any kiss either of them had ever experienced. After several long seconds had passed, they separated.  
  
Neither could speak, at first. Finally Ed said, "Our dinner reservations are for seven o'clock tomorrow night. How about I pick you up at 6:30?"  
  
"That's.... good.," Carol replied, still somewhat lost from the intensity of the kiss they'd just shared.  
  
Ed and Carol smiled at one another.  
  
"Well, then," Ed said, "I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to overdo it on the writing. I don't want you to risk getting writer's block again and then having to kill off my character ..."  
  
"Don't worry", Carol smiled back at him, "I have it on very good authority that he survives. You have a good day tomorrow, too." Then she leaned in and kissed him again.  
  
After they separated, Ed said, "Good night." He turned and walked back to the elevators. Carol said, "Good night" and stepped back inside her hotel room. 


	10. Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer & Sheehan  
  
December 18, 2000  
  
7:30 AM  
  
Deloris Hector walked purposefully into the lobby of the building which contained the law offices of Farmer & Sheehan. The 'clak-clak' sound of her high heeled shoes echoed across the first floor lobby. Clarence, the middle-aged guard who manned the first floor lobby security desk, watched as the normally pleasant Deloris marched passed him and towards the bank of elevators.  
  
Then she turned around and started walking back towards him!  
  
"He isn't here yet, is he?" Deloris demanded.  
  
"Uh, that would depend on who 'he' is," Clarence replied.  
  
"Mr. Stevens."  
  
"Oh ..." Clarence fumbled with clipboard containing the early morning sign in sheet. Anyone who the security staff let in before the 'normal business hours' was required to sign in. "Uh ..." was all he could manage as he furiously scanned the list of signatures.  
  
"Well, is he?!!" Deloris stamped her foot impatiently.  
  
"Uh, he's not on the list," Clarence replied. Then he decided that caution was the wiser choice and added, "but that doesn't mean that he isn't. Some of the guys don't require 'the regulars' to sign in."  
  
"Well he'd better not be ..." came Deloris' reply as she marched back towards the elevators.  
  
Clarence watched as she disappeared into one of the elevators. He leaned back in his chair and let out a huge sigh of relief. Wherever Mr. Edward Stevens was - he hoped it wasn't working at his desk.  
  
***  
  
Deloris walked into the office, still bearing the same look of grim determination that had flustered poor Clarence. As she neared her desk she cast a glance over at the nearby office - Ed's office. The door was closed, but that wasn't proof of anything, Ed often kept it closed when he was working early to avoid being disturbed by the cleaning staff.  
  
She put her coat away and slipped her handbag into the lower left hand drawer of her desk. As she sat down in her chair, she looked around her desk to take stock of things and then smiled. Her desk was exactly as she had left it on Friday afternoon when she left!  
  
'Ed is always dropping stuff on my desk at night and on the weekends,' she thought.  
  
But she needed to be sure, so she got up from her desk and peeked into Ed's office. One look confirmed her suspicions - Ed WASN'T in yet. She looked around the office, dumbfounded. She looked over at the contents of Ed's in- box and saw a stack of documents on the corner of his desk. But they were the SAME documents she had left them there on Friday just before she had left. Ed hadn't touched them.  
  
"Oh, my..." Deloris grinned, then retreated back out to her desk.  
  
***  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 18, 2000  
  
11:00 AM  
  
Frustrated, Carol Vessey pushed her chair back from the small desk in her hotel room and sighed. She'd been trying for the last three hours to work out the next chapter in her novel and wasn't getting anywhere.  
  
Unfortunately, the novel wasn't the problem. Although she'd had another wonderful time with Ed yesterday, Carol was still haunted by Miranda's revelation that she'd gone away with Ed on an intimate ski-vacation only two weeks previously. And that while they were there in Vermont, that she and Ed ...  
  
Carol stood up and began pacing back and forth. 'That Ed and her ...'  
  
'That they'd ....'  
  
'Aaaargggh!'  
  
Why was she torturing herself about this? She'd thought she'd come to an understanding with herself that whatever Ed had done before they started seeing each other was Ed's business. That whatever past relationships, he'd been in, were just that - in the PAST.  
  
Of course, not that what Miranda had told her constituted a 'relationship'. No. It was more like a 'fling'. A silly, insignificant 'fling', which probably had more to do with Ed being lonely, hurt and vulnerable than anything else. She walked into the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror.  
  
"Come on, Carol Phyllis, get a grip. Ed may have had a fling with Miranda, but that was all it was - a 'fling". She sighed again. It was just that Ed didn't seem the type to have casual flings - *especially* not with a 'woman' like Miranda.  
  
She walked back over and sat down in front of her laptop. Looking over what she'd written, she discovered that her preoccupation with Ed and Miranda had even worked it's way into a chapter of her novel - as a rather heated argument between Caroline and the mysterious dark-haired lawyer she'd fallen in love with.  
  
That she'd fallen in love with?  
  
Was that it? Was she in LOVE with Ed?  
  
But they had only met a few days ago, she told herself. People don't fall in love that fast - except in the movies.  
  
And yet as she saved the work she'd done on the new chapter and closed the laptop, Carol couldn't help but be struck by how 'movie-like' the last few days with Ed *had* been. So wonderful and romantic.  
  
Starry-eyed, she walked over to the window, and looked out across the city. She wondered where he was right at the moment and if he was thinking about her?  
  
What was happening to her? She was so confused one minute and then the next everything was so clear. So right.  
  
If she'd been home, Carol could've talked to her friend Molly or maybe even Nancy Burton. But, it was 11:00 AM in the morning. Molly was in the middle of teaching her 3rd period class and Nancy was probably in a meeting somewhere. They couldn't help her. Not now at least.  
  
She turned away from the window and paced back and forth for a moment. 'What would Molly tell me to do at a time like this?' she asked herself. Then she couldn't help but chuckle as she realized that pacing was something that Ed did to help clear *his* thoughts. She laughed to herself and wondered when she was going to get a baseball bat.  
  
Finally, she decided that if she wanted Ed - if she *really* wanted him - she was going to have to do something more than what she'd been doing. She was going to have to do something that would figuratively 'knock his socks off'. She remembered that Ed had told her that he was planning to take her to 'Windows on the World' for dinner this evening and decided that would be the perfect place for one Edward Jeremy Stevens to see a completely different side of Carol Phyllis Vessey.  
  
Carol walked back into the bedroom of her hotel room and opened her closet. She skimmed through the clothes hanging there. She sighed despairingly. Nothing she'd brought with her from Stuckeyville captured 'the look' she wanted to convey tonight.  
  
'Well,' Carol thought, 'desperate times call for desperate measures!' and she grabbed her coat and headed out to do a little shopping.  
  
She walked outside and hailed a cab. Remembering her mantra ('desperate times call for desperate measures') she directed the driver to take her to Bloomingdale's - "as fast as he could". She got there without serious incident - as long as one didn't consider having two tires up on the curb for half a block to get around a line of stopped vehicles a 'serious incident'.  
  
Carol walked into the store and despite the growing crowd of Christmas shoppers, quickly found the woman's dress section. She flipped through the racks, pulling out a few dresses to try on. She then went to the fitting room and began trying them on. She liked a couple of them, but they weren't what she was looking for. Of course, she didn't know WHAT she was looking for, she just knew these dresses weren't it!  
  
She put the dresses on a rack outside the fitting room and headed back to look for others. While looking over the racks, she sighed loudly enough for a saleswoman to notice. The saleswoman approached Carol and said, "May I help you?"  
  
Carol looked over at the saleswoman. She was young, maybe in her mid twenties, with red hair that framed her face down to her shoulders. She was also slim and very cute. Her name tag read Shannon.  
  
Carol took a chance and explained that she was from out of town and been asked to dinner at 'Windows on the World' by a male friend, whom she really wanted to impress. For added emphasis, she even told Shannon about some of the things Ed had done for her.  
  
"Can you help me?" she finally asked.  
  
Shannon looked at her for moment. Then with a mischievous smile said, "Come with me. We've got some stuff left over from our Fall sales. I'm not supposed to bring customers back here, but since it's for a 'GOOD CAUSE' ... I don't think my supervisor will mind."  
  
Carol smiled and followed Shannon through a door that said "Employees Only" and into a storage room, then through another door and into a smaller room which was lined with racks of clothing.  
  
Shannon eyed Carol critically and then went over to one of the racks. She started pulling dresses off the rack. After a moment, she returned with several hangers and started to hold them up to Carol, judging how they'd look on her. She made little sounds "Un-unh", "No", "Nope". She went through all of the clothes she had selected and tossed them all aside.  
  
After Shannon had tried the last outfit, she got a thoughtful look on her face and said, "Maybe. It might be a little cold, but we can definitely do something about that." Carol simply watched the young saleswoman with amazement. It seemed as if Shannon was as excited about her date with Ed as she was.  
  
Shannon went to another rack and rummaged around for a moment. She pulled something off the rack. "Aha!". She walked over to Carol and held the dress up in front of her, "Yes, I think this will do - nicely. Let's go try it on."  
  
She led Carol back out to the shopping area and over to the fitting room. "Go ahead," Shannon said as she handed the hanger to Carol.  
  
Carol went in and slipped out of her jeans and sweater. She slipped into the dress Shannon had picked and then reviewed how it looked on her in the mirror.  
  
'Perfect!' Carol thought.  
  
Carol stepped out to get Shannon's opinion. Shannon took one look at her and smiled joyfully. Carol even thought she saw a tear welling up in corner of Shannon's eye. Carol returned the smile then went back and got changed back into her street clothes. When she returned, Shannon was waiting outside with a shawl she'd thought would not only accentuate the dress, but also provide added warmth.  
  
Then Shannon took Carol over to the women's shoe department. There she introduced Carol to her friend Bernice, a young girl about Shannon's age with dark curly hair and bright green eyes. After Shannon had informed Bernice of the particulars of their 'mission', she too was eager to help Carol. As Carol tried on shoes, the three women talked more about their boyfriends - well mostly it was just Carol telling the saleswomen about the three dates she'd had with Ed. Bernice and Shannon listened intently. It was clear they thought Carol had found a 'keeper'.  
  
After they'd found the right shoes, Shannon led Carol over to a register. Carol had been so focused on finding the right outfit and then telling the women about Ed, that she hadn't bothered to check to see if she could even afford any of this.  
  
Shannon noticed her concern almost immediately, "Don't worry, I'll enter it in using my employee discount."  
  
Carol looked at Shannon gratefully and said, "Thanks. I really appreciate it."  
  
"It's Christmas," Shannon replied.  
  
Carol smiled and handed Shannon her credit card. Shannon finished the transaction and placed everything neatly into two bags which she then handed to Carol.  
  
Carol thanked her and Bernice again and walked out of the store, taking a cab back to her hotel.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer & Sheehan  
  
December 18, 2000  
  
3:30 PM  
  
Ed stood at his office window, looking out across the city. He'd just spent the last six hours going over the final drafts for the Henderson account. It had been a daunting task made more so in recent days by Ed's complete inability to focus completely on it.  
  
And he didn't care. Not one bit. He would have paid ANY price for the last few days he'd spent with Carol. He smiled recalling the memory of her in his arms. He wondered where she was - right at *that* moment. Was she thinking of him? He looked down at his watch - only a few more hours, til he saw her again.  
  
Deloris stepped into the office. It was obvious to her what, or more accurately, who her boss was thinking about as he stared out that window. She knocked softly on the door - just enough to get Ed's attention.  
  
"Yes, Deloris. What is it?" Ed asked.  
  
"I didn't mean to disturb you."  
  
"No it's alright. I was just daydreaming there for a moment. I need to get back to work anyway. What can I do for you."  
  
"Three things. One. Mr. Farmer is on line one. I think he just wants an update on the paperwork for the Henderson deal. Two. I've confirmed your reservation at 'Windows on the World'." Deloris stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"And the third?"  
  
Deloris smiled at her boss and said, "I just hope that new girlfriend of yours doesn't have allergies. I'm just your secretary and ...." she glanced back at her desk and the bouquet that Ed had sent her in appreciation of her anticipating his need to cancel his monthly racquetball game with Jerry Pender.  
  
"Deloris," Ed corrected, "Carol's not my girlfriend. She's ..."  
  
"She's...?" Deloris echoed his words. Then when Ed couldn't answer said, "Yeah, that's what I thought - it's perfectly obvious what's happening." Her eyes gleamed mischievously.  
  
"Have I really been THAT distracted?" Ed asked.  
  
"You forget. I type your dictation," Deloris replied.  
  
"No."  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"And how far will *that* little anecdote spread through the office grapevine?"  
  
"Actually, for *that* I'm thinking of taking out a full-page ad in the Times." She holds up her hands as if 'framing' the headline. "Legal Eagle's Heart Gets Taken Off the Endangered Species List by Pretty English Teacher! Film at Eleven!" She started to chuckle.  
  
Ed looked at Deloris, his voice became very serious. "She *is* great. Isn't she?"  
  
"Yes, she is." Deloris looked around and then stepped further into Ed's office. "Ed, I know how badly you hurt when Liz...." She noticed that unlike previous occasions, Ed didn't flinch at the mention of his ex-wife's name. She smiled. "...and to cope, you threw yourself into your work - which you're VERY good at, by the way. But Carol Vessey is the best thing that has happened to you since... Well, since I've known you."  
  
Ed looked at his secretary, unsure of what to say. Finally he managed, "Thank you, Deloris."  
  
"You're welcome." She turned and started to walk back to the outer office.  
  
"Deloris?"  
  
"Yes, Ed."  
  
"Tell Mr. Farmer that I had to step out for a little while on a ... on a personal matter. And that I'll return his call within the hour. Alright?"  
  
"I'll take care of it." Deloris said, returning to a lighter tone of voice, "And thanks again for the flowers. But I don't think I should tell Irving about these - don't want him to get jealous..." She watched as Ed put on his dark black overcoat, noticing how it brought out the brightness of his blue eyes.  
  
"On second thought..." Deloris trailed off with another mischievous grin and continued walking out of the office. Where she almost collided with Miranda.  
  
Deloris quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Ms. Van Note. I didn't see you standing there."  
  
Miranda muttered an apology of her own, and hastily retreated back to her office. Deloris watched her go without another word. But what she'd really wanted to do was ask why Miranda was standing outside Ed's office. 'She's up to something. I'm sure of it!' she thought.  
  
***  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 18, 2000  
  
6:30 PM  
  
Carol took one last look at herself in the mirror of her hotel bathroom. She knew that Ed would be on time - he always was, and she wanted to be ready for him. As the clock hit 6:29 PM, she put on her long coat and scarf and waited. As if by magic, Carol heard the knock at the door at the exact moment the clock hit 6:30 PM.  
  
She buttoned her coat up tight and opened the door. Ed smiled at her, warmly. Then noticing her bundled up appearance, he craned his neck to look into the room.  
  
"Cold in here?" he asked. Carol just smiled enigmatically, she'd wanted to surprise Ed with how she looked in the dress - but not until they'd reached the restaurant.  
  
"You look terrific, by the way," Ed stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Carol looked embarrassed and said, "Thank you. You're looking pretty terrific yourself!"  
  
And he did. His hair was slightly mussed, but maybe a little more carefully than usual. He had on a light blue shirt that perfectly complemented his dark suit. 'That suit,' Carol thought, 'must have cost a pretty penny!' It had obviously been tailored just for him - and tailored well! Ed's tie was an understated silk affair with an octagonal geometric pattern in blacks, blues, grays, and purples.  
  
As he walked into her hotel room, Ed pulled out a package from behind his back and handed it to her. Carol wasn't actually surprised - he seemed to keep showing up with things for her. 'That adorable man, if he keeps this up,' Carol thought, 'he's going to spoil me!'  
  
The package was wrapped in festive Christmas paper. The gift tag said "To Carol. Love, Ed." Carol's heart fluttered slightly as she'd read the word 'Love'. She took the package from Ed who said, "Merry Christmas! Actually it's just the Barbie doll I bought you on Saturday. BUT, you're not allowed to open it up until Christmas morning. That way, you'll have something from me with you then."  
  
Carol's eyes misted up momentarily, wishing that Ed himself was going to be there on Christmas morning, but she hid her reaction by dropping her gaze. She nodded and said, "Okay, I promise. I won't open this til Christmas!"  
  
Ed smiled. Carol went back into the room and placed the package on the coffee table, next to the plant from Saturday and the roses from yesterday. 'Good thing I'm going home on Wednesday,' she thought. 'That table can't hold much more!'  
  
"Well, then we're off," Ed said. He took Carol's arm and they walked out of the hotel room together, Ed closing the door to Carol's hotel room behind them. They walked down the hallway almost in silence - both clearly still impressed with the appearance of the other.  
  
By the time they'd reached the elevators, the conversation had reached a more normal level. And as they rode down together in the elevator, Ed asked how Carol how her writing was going, and Carol asked Ed about his day. Both admitted to being somewhat 'pre-occupied'.  
  
They left the hotel and got another cab. 'Well,' Carol thought, 'at least I feel better in these death traps with Ed around.'  
  
The trip down to the World Trade Center wasn't too bad. Traffic was its usual snarled mess, but neither Ed nor Carol seemed to notice it much. The cab driver, an older Italian man probably in his mid 50s, noted the way the two just stared into each other's eyes and he smiled. He figured that if they were headed to the World Trade Center, then they were going to 'Windows on the World'. He did his best to get them there in record time.  
  
At a few minutes to seven o'clock, Ed and Carol stepped out of the cab just outside the World Trade Center. Ed paid the driver, giving him a generous tip - it seemed that Ed paid more attention to the trip than the driver thought and thanked him for the speedy delivery.  
  
They walked inside the north tower, taking the express elevator up to the 107th floor. Both felt their ears pop several times. The elevator ride took Carol's breath away, thinking about how high they were going and how fast they were getting there. She reached down and took Ed's hand in hers, but it wasn't the vice-like grip she'd had at the Empire State Building. Ed noticed this and smiled.  
  
The elevator doorway opened and they walked into the hallway. Velvet ropes cordoned off everything and they were soon approached by a uniformed attendant who asked them their destination. Ed told him about their dinner plans and he conducted them to the restaurant.  
  
As they entered the restaurant proper, Ed nodded at the hostess standing by the doorway. She was wearing a charcoal colored suit that looked like brushed suede, the left lapel of which had a small label that read "WotW". Ed and Carol walked over and Ed said, "Hi, we have a seven o'clock reservation for Stevens, party of two."  
  
The hostess, who name tag read Beatriz, checked over her list and said, "Ah yes, here you are." She waved down a waiter and said, "Please take Mr. and Mrs. Stevens to table #42."  
  
Ed started to correct her that he and Carol weren't married when Carol surprised both of them by placing a hand on his arm and shaking her head slightly. She liked the thought of someone calling her Mrs. Stevens. Ed's heart felt like it was going to burst forth from his chest. He grinned hugely.  
  
The waiter nodded and said, "Would you like to check your coats?"  
  
They nodded. Ed shrugged out of his coat and then helped Carol out of hers. Ed handed the coats to the waiter and turned back towards Carol. When he did, he nearly fell over.  
  
Carol was wearing a simple knee-length black dress. It was designed more for summer, but the shawl covering her shoulders - and the spaghetti straps of the dress - accented it wonderfully. She wore a shawl for a little added warmth, though it didn't seem that she needed it. The dress seemed to have been designed specifically for Carol, accentuating her slender figure perfectly. Her high heel shoes highlighted the curve of her legs - a fact Ed hadn't been able to notice before as she'd worn a long coat.  
  
Ed smiled, taken all together the outfit was ...  
  
Ed was still trying to find the right words when the waiter returned. Like Ed, it was obvious that he too was impressed with Carol's appearance. He conducted them quickly to their table. As they walked across the restaurant, heads turned - a few men were openly staring at Carol. Carol glanced down at Ed's feet and stifled a giggle when she realized the reason she was doing it was because she wanted to see if his socks and shoes were still on!  
  
Finally, the waiter led them to a small square table by the windows. The waiter offered to hold Carol's chair for her while she sat, but Ed stepped in and did the honors himself. The waiter gave a small smile, acknowledging Ed's right - and incredibly good fortune. After she was seated Carol took a moment to look around.  
  
The place was fantastic! Floor-to-ceiling windows were spaced between tall columns all around the room. The ceiling was crisscrossed with wood beams and indirect lighting. In one corner was a grand piano. The plush carpeting was a geometric pattern that accented and complemented the very linear column-glass walls. The tablecloths followed a similar theme, white with thick light gray stripes. The chairs were plush, without arms, and done in a rust color with wood accents. Floral arrangements were on every table and the place settings were white with blue and gold geometric patterns. The salad plate was a curious crescent moon shape, with stars and a crescent moon painted on the bottom.  
  
However, the most incredible part was the view. It was a clear night and Carol could see for miles. The lights of the city and, across the Hudson River, New Jersey twinkled. Carol was lost in the view for a moment.  
  
So was Ed, but in a different view. He just stared at Carol - he couldn't take his eyes of her. 'She keeps taking my breath away!' he thought, finally deciding on an apt description of her in that outfit.  
  
Carol looked back at Ed and realized that the whole time she had been looking out at the skyline, he had been staring at her. She looked down at her plate and blushed.  
  
"Ed?"  
  
"Mmmhmmm."  
  
"You're staring at me," she stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Am I?" Ed asked innocently.  
  
"Yes. You are. Now stop it, the other guests are starting to notice us."  
  
"Let them. I don't care."  
  
Carol blushed even more and looked back down at her place. She was embarrassed by all the attention the two were suddenly drawing to themselves, but secretly loved the compliment Ed had just bestowed on her. She finally found her voice and looked back up at him and said, "Ed, we can't eat dinner this way."  
  
"I'm sorry," Ed replied recognizing the practicality of Carol's statement, "it's just that when I saw how you looked in that dress. Well..., you just 'knocked my socks off'.  
  
Carol's head whipped up and she just stared at Ed for a moment, then burst out laughing. Ed laughed too, but was slightly confused at why she found it so amusing. Finally, Carol calmed down enough to explain - somewhat sheepishly - that it was exactly the reaction she'd been hoping for.  
  
Ed smiled at her and said softly, "Carol, I have the same reaction every time I see you. Even the jeans and sweatshirt you had on Saturday."  
  
Although she didn't think it was possible, Carol's blush deepened. She was incredibly touched not only by the compliment but by the complete sincerity with which Ed had made it. She reached across the table and put her hand over his. Ed smiled in return.  
  
After a few moments, Ed noticed their waiter standing quietly near one of the empty tables. Every few seconds, he would glance over at them - obviously waiting, not wanting to intrude on something 'private'. Ed smiled again at Carol and said, "Why don't we let the waiter get to work?" He looked back at the waiter again. Carol followed his gaze, turning slightly to see that yes, the waiter had been ... well, 'waiting' patiently. She grinned sheepishly and picked up her menu.  
  
The more or less Continental menu blended classical French and American cuisines. Carol's eyes widened slightly at the prices. Once again, reminded by just how much Ed had been spending on her. She bit her lip and resolved that she'd pay for her meal tonight - and that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.  
  
When the waiter returned to take their orders, Ed inquired if the wine steward had any remaining bottles of the '61 Bordeaux left in stock. The waiter smiled, "Sir, has *excellent* taste." Then he looked over at Carol, "but then, Sir *already* knows that, doesn't he?"  
  
Ed's gaze returned to Carol, he reached over and again, took her hand in his, "Yes, he does." Carol was sure she was going to melt into a puddle on the floor.  
  
They spent the rest of their time at the restaurant, eating, talking quietly, stealing intimate glances at one another, and, occasionally, holding hands. Eventually, they got the hint from the waiter that they should probably consider leaving - maybe it was the seventh time he asked them if they needed anything after their dessert plates had been cleared that did it.  
  
While Carol excused herself to use the ladies room, Ed asked the waiter to bring the check, which Ed then quickly paid. It was quite a bill - easily more than all their other meals combined, and he was not about to let Carol pay any part of it.  
  
When Carol returned, Ed asked her if she was ready to go. She started to say yes, then remembered that she had wanted to pay at least her half of the check. When she realized that Ed had already paid the full amount himself, she was more than a little angry with him.  
  
"Ed, you have to stop spending all your money on me like this." She wanted to tell him more than that. That Ed had spent more money on her in three days than Nick had spent on her in seven years, but she didn't want to leave him with the impression that she was keeping score in that regard - because she *wasn't*. What mattered to her was that in those SAME three days Ed had given her more attention and support than Nick had in their entire relationship. Ed could've taken her out for a hotdog and she'd still say she loved...  
  
Carol stopped herself in mid-thought, momentarily stunned at the truth she had just revealed to herself. She was in love with Ed!  
  
"Why?" Ed asked, unaware of the thoughts racing through Carol's mind.  
  
Carol snapped back to attention, "Because it's not right, we only just met a few days ago and it's just ... it's just not right."  
  
"It feels right to me," Ed replied.  
  
"I feel like I'm taking advantage of you." Which was true. She did.  
  
"But you're not. I want to do this, Carol. You're not making me do anything I don't want to do."  
  
Carol's anger was deflected by the compliment, "Alright. But next time I pay, okay?"  
  
"Alright."  
  
They got their coats and left a tip for the coat check girl. Ed helped Carol on with her coat, his hands lingering on her shoulders afterwards. Carol leaned backwards into him and smiled up at him. She rested her cheek on his hand for a moment.  
  
They took the elevator down to the lobby. If Carol thought the trip up was heart-pounding, the trip down was heart-stopping! The elevator moved just as fast going down and, because it was an express elevator, she couldn't tell when they were getting near the ground floor. She was startled when the elevator abruptly started slowing - not harshly, just unexpectedly.  
  
As they walked out of the World Trade Center, Ed moved to the edge of the street and hailed a cab. During the ride back to the hotel, Carol snuggled up against Ed. Ed wrapped his arm around her.  
  
After a short and quite uneventful ride, they were standing in front of Carol's hotel. They walked inside quickly, crossing the lobby to get to the elevators. As in the restaurant, people were staring at them. The men in the hotel watched Carol, and more than a few women were drawn to the man on Carol's side.  
  
Neither Ed or Carol noticed this - their attention was fixed on each other.  
  
They rode the elevator to the 4th floor in silence, both wanting with an almost desperate desire for this evening to continue. As they got to Carol's hotel room, she fished her key out and unlocked the door. She opened the door and then stopped. She looked up at Ed for a moment, then took off her long coat and scarf - she also removed the shawl she had worn at dinner. Folding everything over her arm, she stood in front of Ed in the black dress for a moment. Then, tentatively, she reached out, took Ed's hand in hers and led him into the hotel room. The door closed quietly behind them. 


	11. Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Mike and Nancy Burton  
  
December 18, 2000  
  
8:30 PM  
  
Nancy came down the stairs quietly and looked over her shoulder towards the second floor - and Sarah's bedroom. She smiled, her mind picturing the sleeping baby - *her* baby, upstairs. She walked into the living room and sat next to Mike on the couch.  
  
"Well," Nancy said with a sigh, "I finally got Sarah to go to sleep. No thanks to you."  
  
"What did I do?" Mike said, pausing in his channel surfing to look at his wife.  
  
"You filled her full of aerosol whipped cream."  
  
"But Nance. What kind of father would I be if I denied my firstborn daughter the opportunity to sample one of life's greatest pleasures?"  
  
"Mike. She's SIX MONTHS old. She's going to have a sugar rush for a month!"  
  
Before Mike could respond, they heard a quiet knock on the door. Mike and Nancy looked at one another and shrugged, as if to say 'who that could be at this hour?'  
  
Mike got up and went to the door. He peered out the peephole and then unlocked and opened the door. Molly walked inside, looking around.  
  
"Hey guys," Molly said quietly, "I figured you'd be getting Sarah to bed and I didn't want to wake her, so I knocked softly."  
  
"Thanks. I just managed to get her to bed," Nancy said quietly as well. "Come on in. What's up?"  
  
Molly walked inside and slipped her coat off. "Well," her voice twinged with curiosity, "I was wondering if either of you got a chance to talk to Ed this weekend?"  
  
"Nope," Mike replied. Then seeing the disappointed look on Molly's face, he quickly added, "Hey! I tried - I left a message for him to call me yesterday about noon - he hasn't returned my call, yet!"  
  
Molly looked at Nancy for confirmation. Nancy nodded. Mike said, "Hey! Why did you need Nancy to confirm it - my word is my bond!"  
  
Molly just rolled her eyes and said, "Well, I haven't had any luck with Carol either. She isn't answering her cell phone - nor the message I left at the hotel. One can only assume that she and Ed are out again together."  
  
"Yeah," Nancy said with satisfaction, then frowned, "I just wish we could find out what is going on!"  
  
"Aargh! I can't take any more of this! Do either of your realize that I spent four years of my life listening to Ed talk about Carol? And now you two?!!! Enough. I can't take it any more!" His voice takes on a rather imperious tone, "As Lord and Master of this House, I declare that there shall be no more talk of 'Ed and Carol'."  
  
Molly and Nancy look at each other and smile.  
  
"... *Or* talk about 'Carol and Ed'," Mike quickly added.  
  
Molly and Nancy stop smiling.  
  
"Molly, how are things with your grandfather's place?"" Mike asked, hoping to change the subject.  
  
"Well" Molly exclaimed. "I could use the legal services of one Edward Stevens myself right about now."  
  
"I thought I ruled there shall be no talking about Ed and Carol," Mike tried to sound imperious again.  
  
"I'm not talking about 'Ed and Carol', I'm just talking about Ed," Molly smiled knowing that she'd won on a technicality. "He'd really be a help wading through all the legal stuff associated with my grandfather's estate. It's a real mess."  
  
"Oh. I guess that's okay then."  
  
"How's things between you and the ever-so-pleasant Dr. Jerome?"  
  
Mike frowns, "He called me a gibbering baboon today and now has another doctor working at the office," Mike replied. He continued in a sneering tone, "Dr. Scotty. Be more like Dr. Snotty."  
  
"Honey, do you think Dr. Jerome is trying to play you two against one another?" Nancy asked.  
  
"I try not to delve into the mind of Walter Jerome," Mike said. "There are some things man just wasn't meant to know."  
  
Molly and Nancy laughed. Molly snapped her fingers and said, "Oh, almost forgot! Did you guys here the latest rumor about StuckeyBowl?"  
  
"No," Mike said.  
  
"What?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Well," Molly said, "it seems that the rumors about Big Rudy closing the place down are true. There were some developers from Jaspertown over the other day looking at the site. And... Brace yourselves for this --- they want to tear StuckeyBowl down and put up a Roller Disco!!"  
  
"You're kidding?" Nancy asked in shock.  
  
"It's the end of civilization as we know it," Mike stated candidly. Molly and Nancy just looked at him. "What?" Mike said.  
  
"You like dancing," Nancy pointed out.  
  
"That's breakin', Nance. That's different," Mike corrected. Then proceeded to lecture Molly and Nancy for another fifteen minutes on the "civilization-ending" vileness of disco music.  
  
After a few more minutes of conversation, Molly got up to leave. Nancy followed intending to lock up the house for the night. At the door, and what they thought was out of earshot of Mike, they agreed to trade information if Molly talked to Carol or Mike talked to Ed. Mike just looked on and rolled his eyes.  
  
***  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 18, 2000  
  
10:30 PM  
  
Ed and Carol were kissing. Well, kissing was a tame term for what was happening.  
  
Their coats were thrown on the floor inside the door. Carol was backed against the wall to the right of the door, Ed right in front of her. Their lips pressed tightly together. Ed was slowly working one strap of Carol's dress down off her shoulder and Carol was working at the knot in Ed's tie, intent on removing it and the shirt underneath.  
  
The kissing continued for several minutes. Occasionally they broke apart to gasp for breath, for Ed to trail a series of soft kisses down Carol's neck, for Carol to focus enough to get another button undone on Ed's shirt...  
  
After several more minutes, Ed's shirt was completely unbuttoned and Ed was kissing along Carol's shoulder. He started working on the second spaghetti strap. Moving it down and off her shoulder. They were lost in a haze of passion.  
  
Then the haze was disturbed, the sound of a cell phone ringing. She didn't understand at first what she was hearing, so lost was she in what Ed was doing. After about the third ring, her brain clicked back on. She realized from the ring that it was Ed's phone.  
  
At about the same moment, Ed realized it as well. With an almost painful expression on his face, he pulled away from Carol. He looked around, hearing the phone ringing, knowing it was intruding on this moment between them, but not conscious enough to understand. On the fourth ring, his fog lifted and he gave a soft curse.  
  
Looking around, he saw his coat thrown on the floor, the source of the ringing. He looked at Carol who said, "Don't answer it."  
  
With a sigh, Ed said, "I have to. This late ... it's probably important. At least, it damn well better be."  
  
Ed walked over and picked up his coat, fumbling in the pocket for the phone. He pulled out the phone and looked at the caller ID. It was the office - as he'd suspected. He had left instructions that he was not to be disturbed - except in an absolute emergency.  
  
He turned the phone on and said, "Stevens."  
  
Carol watched his face as he took the call. Ed suddenly turned around and she was no longer able to see his face.  
  
"Miranda?" Ed asked, his voice a mixture of both anger and surprise. "What are you doing calling me this late at...? What? Now? Well, yes, of course I want to...but not right now! NO! I left instructions that no one was to call me unless it was an emergency. Yes, I know I *asked* you to, but *this* is not an emergency. We can do this tomorrow morning. Good night."  
  
Ed sighed and turned off his phone. He slipped it back into his coat and turned to face Carol. They both knew that the mood had been lost. Ed walked over to Carol and kissed her, gently.  
  
Carol was upset. The intensity and passion of the last few minutes had completely dissipated and she was torn between her desire to rekindle it and her growing sense of betrayal. Why had Ed turned away from her? What was he hiding from her about his relationship with Miranda? What did that conversation mean - it could have been about work or it could have been about so much more. That phrase, 'Well, yes, of course I want to...but not right now' floated through her mind. Ed hadn't meant...he and Miranda?  
  
Could he?  
  
Ed could see Carol distancing herself from him. He tried to tell himself that it was just his imagination. That he was just upset at the interruption. Except that 'upset' didn't even come close to the anger he was feeling right now. And it wasn't because he and Carol were going to be intimate, but because he couldn't deceive himself that the interruption seemed to have done something to his relationship with Carol. Some subtle shift he couldn't understand.  
  
"I...," Carol started, then continued, "I guess I should let you go. You've obviously got...things to do." Her voice wasn't cold, just distant.  
  
Ed was in anguish. He didn't understand what was going on. He just knew that right now wasn't the time. Whatever the problem was, he wouldn't push Carol. He would wait until tomorrow to work it out.  
  
"Um, okay," Ed said. He raised Carol's face to look into her eyes and continued, "Carol, I think we need to talk. Now is not a good time for either of us - let's do this over dinner. My place this time?"  
  
Carol smiled slightly. She couldn't help herself. He could sense something was wrong, but he wanted to give her time. Time to either calm down or to be ready to talk. Despite the anger she was feeling, she was feeling something else. Something that continued to draw her to him - like a moth to a flame.  
  
'I just hope I'm not going to get burned!' she thought.  
  
"Dinner at your place sounds good. Seven o'clock? I can find my way over."  
  
Ed returned her smile and said, "Seven o'clock. You provide the company, I'll provide the food."  
  
Ed bent down and kissed her again, this time with a little of the passion they had shared earlier. After a moment, he broke the kiss. He straightened his shirt and threw on his coat. As he opened the door, he turned and said, "Good night, Carol."  
  
"Good night, Ed," Carol replied.  
  
Carol thought she was either going to break down into tears as he started to close the door or throw herself at him and re-ignite the passion from minutes earlier.  
  
The tears won out.  
  
***  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
7:30 AM  
  
Carol had been awake for several hours. If she had thought that Sunday night was going to be her worst night's sleep, she was wrong. She didn't think that she had slept at all on Monday night. Her mind raced - about her relationship with Ed (whatever it was), Ed's relationship with Miranda (whatever THAT was), her book deal (she hadn't heard from Ed about the contract), and about a million little things.  
  
She finally gave up the pretense of trying to get to sleep at seven o'clock. She got out of bed and showered. After half-heartedly eating some breakfast, she tried to write. Thinking she could lose herself in the fictional of world of her novel.  
  
It didn't work and after an hour she closed her laptop in disgust. Whatever creative energies she'd had a few days ago had been tapped. Now, she was left with juvenile drivel.  
  
She tried to flip through the TV channels, but nothing interested her.  
  
It was now 11:30 in the morning. She was supposed to meet Ed at seven that evening - at his place to talk. The more she thought about it, the more curious she was about the topic. 'What do we have to talk about?' Carol wondered.  
  
With a large sigh, she decided she couldn't handle being in the hotel any longer. She grabbed her coat, her purse, and the room key and headed out.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Law Office of Farmer and Sheehan  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
11:45 AM  
  
Ed Stevens was upset - VERY upset. A problem had crept up on the Henderson deal and he had to fly to Albany, New York for a late afternoon meeting. Which meant that he couldn't have dinner with Carol. And this was her last night in town!  
  
He was mad, but he knew there wasn't anyone to be mad at. It was 'just one of those things'. And he hated it!  
  
He was stuffing papers into his briefcase when Deloris walked into his office, to hand him some additional documents he had requested. He practically tore them out of her hands.  
  
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. When he opened his eyes, he looked at Deloris and said, "I'm sorry, Deloris. This trip is just damned inconvenient, and I shouldn't be taking it out on you." He gave a weak smile in addition to the apology.  
  
Deloris gave him a small smile in return and said, "It's okay, Ed. I understand."  
  
Ed wished she did. But he wasn't about to mention the call that had interrupted ... interrupted what, he thought. What might have been? He sighed again.  
  
"Deloris," Ed said in a more normal tone, "would you double check the flight reservations for me. I want to make sure of my return time - I need to see if I can still get together with Carol tonight."  
  
"Okay, Ed," Deloris said, but didn't move. When he raised his eyebrows in a silent question, she continued, "Are you sure about Miranda Van Note going with you? I didn't think she was working on the Henderson deal?"  
  
"She's not," Ed said. "I need to speak with her on a personal matter."  
  
Deloris raised her eyebrows in surprise.  
  
Seeing Deloris' expression, Ed said, "NO! Nothing like what you are thinking. I'm having Miranda look into Knight Publishing. They're the ones that Carol is supposed to sign a contract with. But I have a feeling... No, I know that they're a bunch of crooks. Miranda was going to do some research for me, hopefully find something I could use as leverage against them and make them give Carol a better deal. I couldn't let Carol lose her dream..."  
  
"Oh," was all Deloris said, though she began to suspect that there was something more that her boss wasn't telling her. She headed back to her desk. Ed could hear her on the phone, confirming what he already knew - that there was no way he could back to New York in time to see Carol tonight. He sighed and picked up the phone on his desk, dialing the number for the DoubleTree hotel.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Law Office of Farmer and Sheehan  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
12:30 PM  
  
Miranda watched as Carol Vessey strode purposefully into the lobby of the building housing the offices of Farmer & Sheehan. From the look of her, Carol obviously had something heavy weighing on her mind. Miranda smiled, then started walking towards Carol, calling her name as she got closer to her. "Ms. Vessey! Carol!"  
  
Carol turned as she heard her name called. Her face froze when she saw it was that 'woman' - Miranda! Carol stopped, not really wanting to, but not really having any other alternative.  
  
"Ms. Vessey... Carol," Miranda began, "I'm glad I caught you. I assume you're here to see Ed... I mean, Mr. Stevens?"  
  
"Yes," Carol said coldly, "I am."  
  
"Well," Miranda said, hiding a smile at Carol's obviously hostile tone, "...he's not here. He just left for the airport."  
  
"What?" Carol said. "The airport?"  
  
"Yes," Miranda said, "I'm afraid there was a problem with the Henderson deal, and Ed had to go to Albany. He'll be back later tonight. He left about 15 minutes ago. I'm supposed to meet him at the airport for *our* flight to Albany. I'm just waiting for my cab."  
  
The stunned look on Carol's face filled Miranda with satisfaction, but she hid it.  
  
"But ..." Carol stammered, "... we were supposed to have dinner together tonight. It's my last night in New York!" Carol barely managed to get the last part of the sentence out. Folding her arms across her chest defensively, she looked almost to be in tears.  
  
"Carol.... Ms. Vessey," Miranda said, laying a hand on Carol's arm, "Carol, I shouldn't be telling you this, but..." She looked around for effect, then continued, "Come on, let's go over here and talk." She directed Carol to a small alcove, out of sight of the usual lobby traffic.  
  
"Carol, I know how you feel about Mr. Stevens, ... I mean, Ed. It was obvious to me when I saw how you looked at him the other day. I don't blame you. Ed and I were... are... Oh! I don't know what we are anymore!"  
  
Miranda eyed Carol carefully, watching to see if her rival saw through her performance. When she was satisfied that wasn't the case, she continued.  
  
"I know how charming Ed can be - trust me, I know. He charmed the pants right off... Um, I mean, he can be a real charmer. But I'm not sure that Ed is really focused on a serious relationship right now."  
  
"But I thought that ..."  
  
"Oh I wouldn't hold it against him. He might even want to believe it himself. Did you know that Ed is going to be made a partner after the holidays? I mean, it's not official yet or anything. Even Ed doesn't know for sure, but his star is on the rise at the firm. It's what he's worked for since the beginning. You know that, right?"  
  
"Yes. Yes. I do," Carol squeaked out.  
  
"And I know it must be so hard for you to hear this, because I can tell you are really falling for Ed. I'm going to give you some good advice. Let him go! I don't think you could be happy here in New York and I KNOW Ed couldn't be happy in Stuckeyville! Either you would be forced to give up your home and career, or he would. And while I think that you and Ed would be happy for a time - eventually he would begin to resent what he'd given up for you. Or if you came to New York, you'd resent what you'd given up for him. Either way, it would end up destroying you both."  
  
Miranda looked around again and said, "I've said way too much. I've got to go!" With that Miranda walked away and resumed waiting for her cab.  
  
Carol stood there stunned. She had come into the building intending to ask Ed out to lunch - on her dime this time. And she hadn't been prepared to take no for an answer. But Ed was gone - and without even a phone call! And now she learned that Ed was going to be promoted. He couldn't come back to Stuckeyville with her.  
  
'What was I thinking?' she thought. 'I didn't even realize that I had thought about Ed coming back to Stuckeyville until just now. But I wanted it so much and didn't realize it. But it can't be - it would kill him. He'd have to give up this job, a partnership! And for what? ME? I couldn't ask him to do that!"  
  
Carol continued to stand there, her heart breaking and her mind reeling.  
  
Miranda surreptitiously watched Carol from the corner of her eye, no doubt enjoying the emotional turmoil she'd sown in her heart. She couldn't have arranged events better than if she'd planned them herself. She smiled contentedly.  
  
Finally, Carol started to move - towards the exit! With tears forming in her eyes, she walked out to the street and hailed a cab.  
  
Miranda watched with satisfaction as Carol got in a cab and the cab pulled away. About a minute later, as Miranda continued to stand there pleased with herself, an elevator bell chimed and Ed walked off the elevator. Seeing Miranda he stalked over and said without stopping, "Let's go."  
  
They walked out to the street and hailed a taxi to take them to the airport. 


	12. Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
1:00 PM  
  
Carol had just barely made it back to the hotel when she'd begun to break down. She hastily paid the cab driver - throwing a 20 dollar bill at him and ran through the hotel lobby to a newly emptied elevator.  
  
As she rode, alone, to the fourth floor, she felt her body begin to shake and her breath come in short, strained gasps.  
  
She exited the elevator, her eyes now blinded by tears, and bolted down the hallway to her room. When she reached the door, she fumbled with her room key for nearly a full minute before managing to unlock the door. She stumbled inside and closed the door behind her before ultimately collapsing onto the bed.  
  
There she remained for nearly an hour, sobbing inconsolably into her pillow.  
  
***  
  
Emotionally spent, Carol sat on the edge her bed. Her face was red and puffy and there were tear-tracks in her make-up.  
  
She couldn't believe this was happening. She had come to New York to line up a publisher and maybe do some writing. But she had fallen in love - 'Yes. Let's just admit it, Carol. You fell in love with Ed Stevens!' - only to realize that she had to give him up.  
  
Ed was about to get a promotion - one he deserved for all the hard work he had put in. That was obvious, even to Carol - who had just met him. And she knew that she couldn't live in New York. Stuckeyville was her home. And she also knew that she couldn't ask him to come back with her to Stuckeyville - he'd have to give up *so* much. It wouldn't be right.  
  
And it wasn't fair, damn it.  
  
But then life *wasn't* fair. If it were, she'd still have her mother. Carol sighed heavily. It seemed that all life did was take away the people that she loved. And Ed, she now knew - fit very much into that category.  
  
She took another deep breath, attempting to gather her strength. She knew what she had to do, she just wasn't sure that she could actually bring herself to do it. After another fifteen minutes she stood and went to the bathroom, where she washed her face and re-applied some of her make-up.  
  
She walked back to the bed and picked her cell-phone up from where it had fallen on the floor. Her hands began to tremble in anticipation. She stared intently at the phone, steeling her resolve for what she was about to do.  
  
What she felt she *had* to do.  
  
She plugged a phone number in and pressed the 'call' button. After two rings, she heard a nasally voice answer, "Good afternoon, Knight Publishing, how may I direct your call?"  
  
"Mr. David Coe, please," Carol said hesitantly. "It's Carol Vessey  
  
"Hold one moment, Ms. Vessey,"  
  
Carol heard muzak playing in the background. Then David Coe answered the line.  
  
"Carol! So good to hear from you. I apologize for not calling you myself sooner. We *need* to get together to sign those contracts. Oh, and before I forget, I hope everything is alright."  
  
"I don't understand..."  
  
"Victor mentioned that you had gotten a call during your dinner from a distraught friend. I hope everything is alright now."  
  
Carol kept her voice level, "Oh. Yes. *That*. Yes, everything is fine, now. Actually, I'm calling about the contract. I'm afraid..."  
  
Carol stopped, momentarily unable to continue. She took a deep breath, then added, "I'm afraid I've changed my mind about the contract. I won't be signing with Knight Publishing."  
  
"WHAT?" Coe exclaimed. "I don't understand. Carol, I thought we had an agreement. If you've made arrangements with another publishing house, I think I should tell you that this is highly unprofessional and ..."  
  
Carol cut him off, "David! I'm not talking to anyone else. I'm afraid that... something else has happened and I'm not sure when or if I'll be able to finish work on my novel. In fact, I'm not even sure if I will continue writing."  
  
For the first time, a real note of concern crept into Coe's voice as he said, "Carol, are you okay? What happened? It wasn't... um, it wasn't anything Victor did, was it?"  
  
Carol had a fleeting desire to say 'Yes, Victor was an unmitigated bore and a pig and I wouldn't sign with you no matter how much you paid me!' But she knew that wasn't the reason she was doing this.  
  
No, the real reason was that even setting aside Victor's abominable behavior, Carol knew she couldn't continue a relationship with a publishing firm - *any* publishing firm - in New York City. It would mean having to come to New York for meetings and she knew that every time she came, she would long to see Ed. Long to rush into his arms, to look into his eyes, to love him as completely as she could.  
  
And because she could not do that, it would be like torture for her.  
  
She needed distance if she was ever going to survive this.  
  
"No," Carol replied, "... It wasn't Victor. David, I'm very sorry, but I am very serious about this. I'm sorry. I have to go. Thank you for wanting to take a chance on me."  
  
She hung up just as the tears started again. She didn't notice the message light flashing on the hotel phone, blocked as it was by the small writing pad provided by the hotel.  
  
***  
  
New York City - LaGuardia Airport  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
1:30 PM  
  
Ed and Miranda stood at the gate and waited to board their flight to Albany. Ed's mood had been tense since they'd left the office and Miranda tried her best to distract him with a little small-talk during their cab- ride. After several aborted attempts, she gave up in frustration.  
  
Ed reviewed their schedule in his mind. Their flight was due to leave at 2:00 PM and land in Albany at 2:45 PM. The meeting with Shaffer Telecommunications was at 4:00 PM and would hopefully only take a couple of hours. With luck, they could catch the 8:00 PM shuttle back to New York and Ed could still see Carol.  
  
If she'd gotten his message and *if* she still wanted to see him, that is.  
  
He had hated leaving a message for Carol with the hotel, but he had no choice. He had tried calling her on her cell phone, but couldn't get through and she didn't appear to have voice mail.  
  
The airline ticket attendant announced the boarding call for their flight. Ed and Miranda stood up and got into line, their boarding passes ready. They walked down the gangway and onto the plane.  
  
It was a small commuter plane, with only three seats to a row; two seats on the right side of the plane and one on the left. Ed and Miranda had seats 9A and 9B. Ed took the inside seat and sat down. Miranda, resignedly sat in the aisle seat - annoyed that she would be unable to periodically squeeze past him using some pretext.  
  
The flight wasn't booked heavily, so it didn't take long for all the passengers to find their seats. The plane taxied and was off the ground on time. Ed sighed in relief. The look on Miranda's face was a completely different story.  
  
***  
  
New York City - Room 426, the DoubleTree Hotel  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
2:00 PM  
  
Carol finished looking around the bedroom. She had just finished packing one of her suitcases and had already called the front desk to let them know she would be checking out a day early. As expected, they told her that since she was checking out so late, they would have to charge her for the additional night even thought she wasn't going to be there. She had sighed and simply told them to do whatever they needed to do.  
  
She had gone beyond caring anyway.  
  
A few minutes later, most of her second suitcase had been packed. She gathered everything from the bathroom and packed it away in her toiletry case. Then she went back into the main room and looked at the coffee table, unsure of what to do. There was no way she was going to be able to take all of the flowers, but she decided to take one of the roses after shortening its stem. She also carefully packed Ed's Christmas gift of the Vera Wang Barbie doll into her suitcase. She decided that she would take the potted-plant on the plane with her - placing it inside her briefcase, so that the plant stuck out and wasn't crushed.  
  
She closed the second suitcase and took another look around, making sure she hadn't left anything behind. Then she took another deep steadying breath, grabbed her coat and headed out the door. There was one more thing she needed to do before she left for the airport.  
  
***  
  
Somewhere over New York State  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
2:30 PM  
  
Ed gazed out the airplane window and sighed. 'Probably his fiftieth since boarding the plane', Miranda thought acidly. He'd spent much of the last half-hour staring out that blasted window. He hadn't even looked at her legs - *even* when she'd shifted in her seat, letting her skirt ride up an inch or so.  
  
'Well, that would change as soon as "Lil' Miss Creamed Corn" was gone for a couple of days' she decided.  
  
Finally, Ed turned away from the window and said, "Miranda?"  
  
Miranda arched her back slightly - *seriously* straining the silk fabric of her shirt, and replied in a husky voice, "Yes, Ed?"  
  
"What did you find?" Ed asked, clearly unmoved by Miranda's attempted flirtation.  
  
"Excuse me?" Miranda said, still somewhat in shock that Ed hadn't responded to her charms.  
  
"What did you find out about Knight Publishing?" Ed clarified.  
  
Miranda's face froze.  
  
Ed noticed THAT and said, "Miranda, I asked you along on this trip because Carol is leaving tomorrow and I need that information to let her know what to do. So, were you able to find out anything?"  
  
"Oh, that." Miranda said, her voice dripping phony sincerity. "Yes. I found out plenty of useful information!"  
  
"Good or bad?" Ed asked.  
  
"Depends on what you were hoping to find," she replied.  
  
Ed sighed and said, "Miranda, I am NOT in the mood for games. Just tell me what you found out."  
  
"You know," Miranda said, clearly annoyed, "for someone who asked me to do them a favor - a rather large favor - which I have spent a great deal of my free time doing, you don't sound very appreciative!"  
  
Ed closed his eyes in frustration. He took a deep breath, regaining his calm and said, "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that this is very important to Carol. And that makes it important to me. I know I asked you for a really big favor and I really do appreciate it."  
  
Miranda reached out and placed her hand on Ed's, "It's okay, I understand how important this is to you. That's the only reason I agreed to do it. Well, that and as my way of apologizing ..."  
  
"Apologizing...?"  
  
"For overstepping my bounds on the Heller account. I realize now that I was out of line. I hope you can forgive me." She looked softly at Ed, trying her best to fake sincerity.  
  
"It's okay, Miranda. I told you. No harm done. In fact, some of your suggestions were pretty good. I'd planned on recommending them."  
  
"Really?" For weeks now, Miranda had been trying to come up with some work- related pretext to get Ed to come to her apartment. And now, he'd just handed it to her. 'Could today possibly get any better?' she thought.  
  
"Yes, *really*. Now can we please get back to what you found on Knight Publishing?" Ed prompted.  
  
"Right," Miranda said as she pulled some notes from her briefcase. "Well, if you were looking for dirt, I found it. They have a total of about 100 currently active contracts with authors. Of those contracts, 30 are in some form of legal action right now - mostly the authors suing Knight."  
  
Ed's eyebrows rose.  
  
"Yes," Miranda continued. "It sounded high to me too. So I did a quick check on some other publishing companies - Random House, Doubleday - to see what their litigation rates were."  
  
"And...?"  
  
"It was about a third of Knight's."  
  
"That's not good."  
  
"Wait, it gets better!" Miranda leaned in closer to Ed, and whispered, "It seems that Knight Publishing is having some major money trouble. The last few major publications they've been involved in haven't done well."  
  
"But," Ed broke in, "according to the papers Carol had, they'd signed some big name writers ... Robert Slattery, Marcia Walsh...."  
  
Before Ed continue, Miranda interrupted him "Yes, they have. Tell me, what are the last two books either of those authors have published?" She smiled evilly.  
  
"Um, I not sure," Ed replied.  
  
"That's because their last novels tanked!" Miranda explained. "I'm not sure about Knight's other new acquisition, though ... Are you familiar with an author by the name of Nick Stanton?"  
  
"You're kidding?!" Ed said.  
  
Miranda shook her head, "No. I don't understand ..."  
  
"It's ... complicated," Ed said in such a way that Miranda understood that was all he was going to say on the subject.  
  
"Anyway," Miranda continued, "while Knight has snatched up some big names, they are all essentially washed up writers who have been resting on their laurels. None of them have published anything lately that compares to their early work."  
  
Miranda watched as Ed put all the pieces of the puzzle together.  
  
"So," Ed said, "what they've got are some big name authors with no fresh material and new authors with whole boatloads of new ideas. With contracts like the one they gave Carol, they could pull the rug out from under the newer authors, and pass the material onto the big names. A good book by one of the big names is going to generate a lot more press, a lot more sales than some unknown."  
  
"And more sales means more commission for the author's literary agent..." Miranda added.  
  
"Knight Publishing!" Ed and Miranda both said in unison.  
  
"Well," Miranda said, "that's what I found out. Helpful?"  
  
"Yes and no," Ed said with a sigh. "It definitely means I've got to tell Carol what Knight Publishing is up to so she doesn't sign the contract. But it's going to devastate her."  
  
"I'm sure she'll manage," Miranda said, faking sympathy once again.  
  
Ed was about to respond when the fasten seat belt light flashed on and the captain announced their approach to Albany Airport.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer & Sheehan  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
3:00 PM  
  
Carol took a deep breath and tried her best to hide the nervousness she was feeling as she walked into the offices of Farmer & Sheehan. She told herself that what she was about to do was the best thing for everyone involved. Best for Ed. Best for her. It was the smart thing to do. The safe thing to do. It was practical and Carol Vessey was very good at being practical. It was how she had always led her life ...  
  
Until she'd met Ed, that is.  
  
The receptionist looked up as Carol stepped through the doorway, she smiled at her and said, "Ms. Vessey?"  
  
"Yes," Carol said, surprised that the receptionist knew who she was. But then, given the way Jerry and.Miranda had known who she was on Sunday, maybe it wasn't all that surprising.  
  
"I'd like to see Deloris," Carol continued, "um, Ed Stevens' secretary."  
  
The receptionist smiled again and said, "Hold on." Then she made a quick phone call.  
  
A moment later, Deloris walked around the corner, smiling. "Ms. Vessey! It's good to see you! But Ed's ..." Deloris said.  
  
Carol shook hands with Deloris and said, "You too, Deloris! And please, call me Carol!"  
  
She hadn't intended to say that. She hadn't wanted to get friendly with anyone. After today, she figured she would never see any of them ever again. But Deloris was such a sweet woman - if she had been younger, they could have been really good friends.  
  
"Okay, Carol," Deloris began. "Uh, you know Ed's not here, he's ..." Then she noticed the slight puffiness around Carol's eyes and the very carefully repaired make-up and she knew something was wrong.  
  
"I know ..." Carol said dejectedly. "Is there someplace where we can talk?"  
  
"Why don't we go back to Ed's office?" Deloris said, taking Carol by the arm and leading her away. Carol started to resist. She hadn't wanted to go near Ed's office. Where she'd find herself surrounded by his things, his pictures, smell his cologne. She just knew she would break down.  
  
Deloris picked up on Carol's unease and motioned for Carol to follow her to one of conference rooms instead. Once inside, she closed the door, giving them some privacy.  
  
"Carol," Deloris said, "what's wrong? Ed's in ..." She was about to suggest calling Ed herself.  
  
"He's in Albany with Miranda," Carol replied coldly.  
  
"Yes, there was a problem with the Henderson merger. *Very* last minute, Ed didn't want to go. But he didn't have a choice. Didn't he tell you that in his message?"  
  
"No. I haven't spoken to Ed since ... *last night*," Carol replied.  
  
Deloris looked at Carol curiously. Something about the way she had said "last night", suggested that something had happened, or was it that something hadn't happened?  
  
Carol was clearly growing restless. She thought she could handle this if she stayed away from Ed's private office, but just being in the same building was beginning to affect her. "Uh, Deloris, the reason I came was to pick up the contract that Ed was supposed to look over for me. Could you get it for me please?"  
  
"I'm not sure that Ed was finished reviewing it yet, dear," Deloris said.  
  
"It doesn't matter," Carol said, with the same coldness as she'd used earlier with "Miranda". "Do you think you could get it for me. I don't want to disturb anything in his office?"  
  
Deloris bit her lip, unsure of what to do. Carol wasn't a client - Ed was doing her a favor - so she had every right to come in and claim the contract. Deloris just didn't know how Ed would react when he found out. She sighed and said, "Hold on. I'll go get it."  
  
Deloris slipped out of the conference room, down the hall and into Ed's office. She found the contract in its folder on his credenza. She grabbed it and quickly retraced her steps to the conference room, where she handed Carol the contract.  
  
Carol stuffed it into her briefcase, sighed and said, "I need one more... No, two more favors."  
  
"Sure, Carol," Deloris said. "I'm sure Ed would want me to help you in any way I could..."  
  
Carol bit her lip, knowing that was EXACTLY what Ed would have said.  
  
"First, I just need an envelope."  
  
Deloris nodded and slipped out of the conference room again. She walked back to her desk and grabbed a plain envelope, not one of the Farmer & Sheehan envelopes. She walked back to the conference room and silently handed it to Carol. Then she watched as Carol pulled a sheet of paper from her briefcase, looked at it for a moment, bit her bottom lip nervously, then folded it and slipped it into the envelope. She sealed the envelope and then pulled a pen from her purse to write Ed's name on the outside.  
  
As Carol started to hand the envelope back to Deloris, her composure cracked for a moment and Deloris could see the anguish Carol was hiding.  
  
"Carol, what is wrong?" she asked.  
  
Carol opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't get the words out. Deloris considered pressing her on the matter, but decided against it. She might tweak Ed on a frequent basis, but this was not the time to stick her nose into things.  
  
She took the envelope from Carol with her left hand, while she put her right hand on Carol's arm. She said quietly, "I'll make sure he gets it, honey."  
  
Carol nodded her thanks, afraid to speak for fear it would start the tears again. She took a deep breath and said, "Merry Christmas, Deloris."  
  
Deloris returned the sentiment. Carol nodded again and started to walk out of the conference room when Deloris called her name. She turned to look at the older woman, who said, "Carol, I don't know what's going on here, but for what its worth.I think you are probably the best thing to happen to Ed in all the time I've known him. Jerry thinks so too and he's known him a lot longer then me."  
  
Deloris thought that these words would bring comfort to Carol, but surprisingly they seemed to have the opposite effect. Carol's eyes immediately began to tear up, and it was obvious she was fighting not to cry.  
  
Carol closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She sniffled, then reached up and wiped it away. After a long, deep breath, which seemed to restore some semblance of control to her, she said, "Thank you" and walked away.  
  
Deloris walked out of the conference room and watched Carol walk out the door of Farmer & Sheehan. She took a deep breath and tried to figure out what had just happened. Something that had been bothering her about the conversation suddenly came to the front of her brain.  
  
Deloris bolted for the office door. She threw the door open. Carol had already walked onto an elevator and was pressing the ground floor button.  
  
"Carol!" Deloris blurted out, "WHO told you Ed wasn't here?"  
  
Carol looked up, startled to hear her name. The elevator doors started to close, but Deloris was sure she was able to make out Carol's response, which she then echoed.  
  
"Miranda!!"  
  
***  
  
Albany - Shaffer Telecommunications Inc.  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
6:00 PM  
  
Ed and Miranda sat in the spacious conference room of Shaffer Telecommunication's Albany offices. The walls of the conference room were a dark walnut paneling which contrasted nicely against the light beige carpeting. Pictures lined the wall - most were of telecommunications equipment: a broadcast tower in one, some electronics equipment in another.  
  
Staring back at them from across the solid walnut conference table were Shaffer's CEO, Paul Shaffer, and his two legal representatives.  
  
Miranda tossed her pen down onto the conference table. The meeting was NOT going well. She couldn't believe it. Everything that they'd been working so hard for in the last ten weeks was falling apart. And why, because the CEO of Shaffer Telecommunications was an idiot.  
  
She looked across the conference table at Ed and saw the same frustration in his face. It was so clear to her that they belonged together. They had the same priorities. The same ambition to succeed - no matter what the cost.  
  
Ed looked back across the conference table at Miranda. 'At this rate ... I'm never going to get back in time to see Carol!' he thought. He ran his hands through his hair, stopping mid way, then leaned forward so that his elbows rested on the conference table.  
  
He groaned.  
  
"Is there a problem, Mr. Stevens?" Shaffer asked.  
  
Ed looked up, considering how to tactfully express his growing frustration at Shaffer and his lawyers' last minute obstinance regarding the merger with Henderson, which was keeping him from being with Carol.  
  
"Yes, Sir. There is. You're lawyers' are idiots," he replied, throwing caution to the wind.  
  
"EXCUSE ME?!!" Shaffer replied, clearly insulted.  
  
Miranda looked on mortified, 'He's blown it. A twenty two million dollar account and he's blown it. I let Pom-Pom Barbie screw with his head too long and now he's completely lost his edge.'  
  
She tried to salvage the situation, "Mr. Shaffer, I'm sure there's been some sort of misunderstanding. My colleague, Mr. Stevens, didn't mean it that way... I'm sure."  
  
"No. I meant it. Every word of it. Mr. Shaffer, your lawyers are idiots. And if you can't see that than I'm afraid you might be an idiot too."  
  
Shaffer's face had turned a bright red, "MR. STEVENS!!! If you think I'm going to stand here and let you insult me ...."  
  
Ed stared back at him coldly, then interrupted him "Of course you're going to let me insult you. And do you know why? Because this is a TWENTY-TWO MILLION DOLLAR DEAL. You want this merger to happen. Henderson wants this merger to happen. That is before you hired the Law Firm of Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum to represent your interests."  
  
In response to Ed's comment, Shaffer's two lawyers sat up smartly. The one on Shaffer's right was a large man. Most likely a former football player who had gone soft from sitting in conference rooms like this for ten hours a day. He tried to hide his girth in expensive suits. His hair was a deep, deep black - the result of too much hair dye to hide the rapidly spreading gray - and slicked back.  
  
The lawyer on Shaffer's left was a direct contrast to his partner. He was a small-framed man, standing just a little over 5' in height with wire-thin brown hair. Also, unlike his partner, his taste in suits seemed inclined more towards off-the-rack brands. But it was his eyes that made Ed nervous. It was difficult to tell if he was looking at you. Ed had finally decided that it was his left eye that he should focus on - his right eye was misaligned, pointed far to the right.  
  
In her mind, Miranda saw her career disappearing in a puff of smoke. She glared at Ed from across the conference table.  
  
"Our client is simply re-negotiating the terms of the ...." one of Shaffer's attorneys began to say, but Ed silenced him.  
  
"Quiet Tweedle Dee!" Ed said sharply. Then he turned to Shaffer. "Mr. Shaffer. You know the economy is beginning a downward turn. You've spent your life building this company. Do you want to see it squashed and then chopped up by some giant multi-media corporation? Or do you want to take a chance and build something even better by joining Henderson? To me, it's a no-brainer." He threw the merger agreement down on the table in front of Shaffer.  
  
Shaffer studied the dark-haired man standing in front of him, intently. His lawyers had told him that Henderson couldn't back out this late into the deal, and that he'd have an advantage and could force additional concessions out of them. But their man, Stevens, looked like he was ready to risk the whole merger by walking right out of the room.  
  
Shaffer looked over at his attorneys. "You're fired," he told them, then added, "Mr. Stevens, tell Mr. Henderson that we have deal."  
  
And he signed the documents.  
  
Miranda found herself staring at Ed from across the conference table. She couldn't believe how COLD, how CALCULATING his negotiation tactics had been.  
  
She *wanted* him.  
  
***  
  
As they were walking back to their rental car, Ed took out his cell-phone and called Mr. Henderson to inform him of Shaffer's acceptance of the merger deal. Miranda watched the conversation, pleased with what she clearly interpreted as Ed's "star on the rise".  
  
"It's all set, Sir. Shaffer signed the agreement and Ms. Van Note and I are on our way back to New York City."  
  
"That's fantastic news, Ed. I want you to know that after I hang up, I'm going to call those two tight-wads you call bosses, and tell them to give you a bonus!"  
  
"Mr. Henderson, that's not necessary." Ed explained, "I'm just doing my job."  
  
"Nonsense," Henderson replied. "A man does exemplary work, he should be recognized for it. If there's anything I can do for you - you just name it."  
  
"Thank you sir, you're more than kind."  
  
"It's nothing. Oh, and Ed?"  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"Merry Christmas!"  
  
"Yes, sir. And a Merry Christmas to you too sir!"  
  
***  
  
Ed and Miranda drove their rental car back to the airport. All throughout the trip, Ed was distracted by thoughts of Carol. He wanted so desperately to get back in time to see her and to explain why he had to miss their dinner date. He also wanted to ask her if she wouldn't mind delaying her return trip a day so that they fly back together.  
  
He had decided that he could think of nothing he wanted more in this world than to spend Christmas with Carol. In New York, in Stuckeyville, it didn't matter. So long as they were together. As long as he could hold her in his arms.  
  
Miranda noticed that Ed was distracted during their drive and then later when they were in the airport waiting on their shuttle back to New York, but she thought he was just thinking about how the deal they had helped orchestrate would affect his status at Farmer & Sheehan. After all, that's what she was thinking about.  
  
After what seemed to Ed like days, they began boarding the 8:00 PM shuttle for New York. Although this flight was full, boarding went mercifully quick and the plane taxied for takeoff with only a five-minute delay.  
  
The plane couldn't fly fast enough as far as Ed was concerned.  
  
***  
  
New York City - John F. Kennedy International Airport  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
7:30 PM  
  
Carol sighed and looked at her watch. They would be boarding her flight to Cleveland soon. She looked down at the cell-phone in her hand. She'd put this off long enough, she thought. She dialed Molly's phone number. The phone was answered on the third ring.  
  
"Hello?" Molly said.  
  
"Molls," Carol said, "it's me, Carol?"  
  
"Hey, girlfriend!" Molly exclaimed. "I have been trying to reach you like crazy. Didn't you get my message at the hotel?"  
  
"Um, no," Carol said. "I didn't see the message light flashing. I don't know why. Is everything okay?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Molly said. "Of course, I was trying to find out more about you and one Edward Stevens. I can't believe that you two are seeing ..."  
  
"Molly!" Carol interrupted her, "Look I need another favor."  
  
"What," Molly asked, "another diversion?"  
  
"No," Carol said, her voice cracking. "I need you to pick me up at the airport tonight. My flight leaves New York at 8:00 PM and gets in at 9:15 PM. Can you pick me up?"  
  
"Carol," Molly said, "what's going on? You sound like you're about ready to cry? You weren't supposed to be home til tomorrow... Did something happen in..."  
  
"Molly." Carol interrupted her mid-sentence, "I can't do '20 Questions' right now. Can you ... Will you ... pick me up at the airport?"  
  
"Yes, of course I will Carol!" Molly said. "You know that. I'm just worried about you!"  
  
"I'll be fine, Molly," Carol said. She heard the boarding call for her flight. "Look, they're calling my flight. I've got to go. I'll see you later."  
  
"Okay," Molly said dubiously. "Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine, Molly," Carol repeated, and hung up the phone. Then as she gathered her carry-on luggage and walked towards the gate, she cast a long last look behind her, then added.  
  
"Someday..."  
  
***  
  
New York City - LaGuardia Airport  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
9:30 PM  
  
To Ed, the flight back to New York had felt like it had taken forever, but according to the pilot, they'd actually landed a few minutes early. Ed had already had his seat belt off and planning his route through the airport crowds, before they'd finished taxiing to the gate. Miranda looked disappointed, all her attempts at conversation on the flight had been shot down. She had even asked Ed if he wanted to go out for a drink - to celebrate their success, but he had declined - oh so politely.  
  
When Miranda asked him about his plans for the evening, he told her rather matter-of-factly that he was in a hurry to get back to the city to see Carol and warn her about Knight Publishing.  
  
"Oh, right. Yes. Of course. I had completely forgotten about that," she lied.  
  
Ed walked quickly through the airport, headed for the taxi stand. He took out his cell phone out and tried calling Carol's cell phone. No answer. Then he decided to just go over to Carol's hotel and try to find her. He took the first available cab, giving the driver the address of the DoubleTree Hotel ...  
  
... and a promise of a $50 tip, if he could make it there in twenty minutes or less.  
  
The cab driver just smiled and told Ed to fasten his seat belt.  
  
True to his word, eighteen and one half minutes after Ed had fastened his seat-belt, the cab deposited him on the sidewalk in front of the DoubleTree Hotel.  
  
Ed settled up with the driver (including the promised tip) and quickly dashed inside. He walked quickly over to the elevators and rode up to the fourth floor, tapping his foot impatiently at its apparent lack of speed.  
  
When the doors opened he bolted to Room 426 and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He tried again, only this time knocking louder and calling Carol's name. Still nothing.  
  
Ed debated trying a third time, but conceded that Carol must not be in her room. With a heavy sigh, he walked back to the elevators and down to the lobby. As he was crossing the lobby he heard someone call his name, "Excuse me, Mr. Stevens?"  
  
He turned around to find the older woman he had met Thursday night when he had come to take Carol out for their first night of sightseeing. The woman called his name aloud again, and waved at him.  
  
Ed waved back and began walking towards her. She was standing near the Concierge's desk with an older, white haired gentleman, whom Ed thought was most likely her husband.  
  
"Hello," Ed said. "You know, I never did get your name"  
  
The woman smiled at him and said, "I'm Winifred and this is my husband, Thomas. Duffy." Thomas Duffy offered his hand, which Ed took. Ed was surprised that Thomas had such a firm grip, considering he must be in his late 70s, at least. Ed scanned the lobby for any sign of Carol.  
  
"Mr. Stevens," Winifred said, "I wanted to thank you."  
  
"For what," Ed asked distractedly. He scanned the lobby again.  
  
"For your business card," she replied. "When I asked to speak to Philip Croft at Tad's and showed him your card, he... Well, he treated us like royalty!"  
  
"It was a wonderful evening," Thomas said. "Thank you so very much."  
  
Ed smiled half-heartedly, and scanned the lobby for a third time.  
  
"Mr. Stevens," Winifred said, "are you looking for someone?"  
  
"Please, call me Ed," he said. "And yes, I'm looking for the woman I was with the other night. You haven't seen her by any chance, have you?"  
  
"Oh, dear," Winifred said as she covered her mouth with her hand, "I was afraid of that." Suddenly, Winifred had Ed's undivided attention. She looked up into those blue eyes and saw the concern and pain etched there. She sighed.  
  
"I...I saw the young lady this afternoon," Winifred began. "I was just returning from a short walk when I ran into her. I asked her to thank you for me, but she said she wouldn't be able to. Which I didn't understand. Anyway, she was checking out. She had her bags and was heading for the exit. I told her to have a pleasant trip, but she looked at me sadly and said, 'I'll try' - it almost broke my heart. Then she was gone."  
  
Ed stood there stunned. Carol had gone? But why? Had something happened at home? Was someone sick? A thousand thoughts raced through his head. None of them good.  
  
The Duffy's stood there in silence. Unsure of what to say, or even if they should say anything. Finally Winifred placed her hand on Ed's arm, startling him, and said "Mr. Stevens...Ed. When you see that young woman again you mind her of what I said. That if you have love, everything else will fall into place."  
  
Thomas Duffy nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"I'll..." Ed started to say before his voice broke, "I'll do that. Thank you."  
  
The older couple moved off, leaving Ed's mind racing.  
  
Ed stood there in silently for several minutes. Then he remembered - Carol's contract! If she had left early, what happened with Knight Publishing? Had she signed the contract?  
  
Ed rushed out of the hotel and walked quickly along the street. He would have broken into a run, but figured that would have generated too much unwanted attention. He reached his office building and went inside.  
  
As he half-ran towards the elevators, the guard at the first floor station grabbed his clipboard and moved out from behind his desk to intercept him. Probably to make him sign in. However, one look from Ed told him that the dark-haired lawyer had no time for such trivialities, and so he waved him on.  
  
Ed rode the elevator up to the 33rd floor, mentally willing it to go faster. When the elevator stopped, Ed rushed out before the doors had fully opened. He pulled out his keys and let himself into the Firm's offices. Then sprinted to his own private office, and unlocked that door.  
  
He'd no sooner stepped beyond the doorway when he was stopped cold.  
  
The contract was gone from his credenza! 'Oh, no!' Ed thought. 'I hope Carol didn't sign that damn thing!'  
  
It was then that Ed saw the white envelope lying in the middle of his desk, placed very carefully in the center of the blotter. He walked over slowly. Both wanting and not wanting to open it at the same time. As he got closer, he could make out his name written on the envelope. At first he didn't recognize the handwriting, but then realized it was Carol's. He had only seen her handwriting a couple of times.  
  
He picked up the envelope carefully and turned it over. For some reason, he was filled with an intense dread. With a deep, centering breath, he took the letter opener from his desk and slit the envelope down the side. He pressed the envelope's top and bottom and slid a single sheet of paper out.  
  
He carefully placed the envelope on the desk and stared at the folded paper for several moments. Then slowly, he unfolded the paper. It was a single sheet of paper with the DoubleTree name and logo on the top - something that must have been in Carol's room.  
  
He read the words, his face - but most especially his eyes - getting sadder and sadder. He reread the note several times, not believing his eyes.  
  
'Dearest Ed'  
  
'I'm sorry to do this in this fashion, but I could never face you like this. You have shown me so much more than the sights here in New York City. You have touched me like no one else ever has.'  
  
'But this can't...won't work. I'm leaving for Stuckeyville tonight and I need you to promise not to follow. This is for the best. For you. For me. I'm sorry.'  
  
"Love, Carol.'  
  
'Why would she do this?' he thought as his shoulders sagged and he sank into his chair. He shook his head, then tried to rub the newly forming tears from his eyes. Unsuccessful, he laid the letter down on the desk, gently and turned his chair towards the window.  
  
He stayed there, not moving, and cried softly for a long, long time.  
  
***  
  
Cleveland, Ohio - Cleveland Hopkins International Airport  
  
December 19, 2000  
  
9:30 PM  
  
The flight had gone well, not that Carol had noticed. The plane was only partially booked and Carol had happened to have a row to herself in the back where none of the other passengers could really see her.  
  
The flight attendants had noticed her sadness, silent tears running down her face at random intervals. They had tried to help, but nothing they did seemed console her. They finally just let her be.  
  
Carol was the last to get off the plane - almost as if by delaying her exit, she could delay the beginning of the rest of her life without Ed. She rubbed her eyes and fought back fresh tears at the thought of him. The flight attendants looked at her sadly and wished her a Merry Christmas.  
  
Carol, still in a daze, just nodded.  
  
She wandered to the baggage claim area. The other people waiting for their luggage gave her space. When she went for the first of her bags, a middle- aged man stepped in and pulled the large suitcase off the conveyor belt for her. He placed it on the floor next to her, not saying a word.  
  
When he saw a second suitcase identical to the first, he looked at her questioningly. She nodded and he retrieved the second bag. She managed a quiet, "Thank you." The man just nodded and walked off to get his own bags.  
  
Carol gathered her things and made her way out of the airport. Once outside, she looking around for Molly - finding her parked not far from the entrance to the terminal. When she saw Carol, Molly waved at her and started walking towards her. Carol, in turn, started towards Molly. Hesitantly at first, then as the two drew closer to one another, Carol dropped her bags and began to run, throwing herself into Molly's arms and sobbing uncontrollably. 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Molly Hudson  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
12:30 AM  
  
Molly Hudson slipped quietly into the guest bedroom and watched as her friend, Carol, rested quietly on the bed. Then just as quickly and as quietly as she'd entered, she slipped back out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.  
  
She leaned back against the now closed door and exhaled wearily, 'What a night! Well at least we're not still at the airport!'  
  
She remembered how she been trying to figure out how get Carol and her bags to her car when a couple of flight attendants came up and asked Molly if she needed a hand. It turned out they had worked Carol's flight. Then, taking her silent nod as permission, they grabbed Carol's bags and walked with Molly, who had one arm wrapped around Carol, to her car. Molly helped Carol into the front seat, while the two female flight attendants put Carol's bags in the trunk of Molly's car 'Sadie'.  
  
Molly thanked the two women graciously and after making sure that Carol was securely belted in, started the long hour and a half drive back to Stuckeyville. Molly noticed that Carol had spent her supply of tears, shortly after they'd exited the airport parking lot, but remained curled up in her seat, not talking and trembling restlessly.  
  
Molly reached out and took Carol's left hand comfortingly. It helped some, but not much. Molly knew right then and there that whatever was troubling Carol, it was obvious that she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. She just sighed, and hoped that whatever it turned out to be - it was something she could help Carol with.  
  
When they finally reached Stuckeyville, Molly decided that it would be probably be better if Carol spent the night at her place, rather than home alone. She took Carol inside, then went back out to get the bags. While she was unloading the car, a thought struck her and she made a quick call on her cell-phone to Mike and Nancy's. Then she brought Carol's two bags into the house. She had wondered about the plant and the single rose Carol had sticking from her briefcase, decided not to inquire about them to Carol - who had by now sought refuge under the decorative blanket and pillows Molly usually kept on her couch.  
  
While she waited for Mike to arrive, Molly started boiling water for tea. Then she went upstairs to make up the guest bedroom for Carol. It wasn't long after she'd walked back downstairs that she heard her doorbell ring. If Carol heard it as well, she gave no indication, preferring to remain half buried under the pillows and blankets on Molly's couch.  
  
Molly walked over and opened the door. As she expected, it was Mike Burton. He handed her a small white paper bag with the words "Stuckeyville Pharmacy" written on the side.  
  
"Nancy's watching Sarah, I got over here as fast as I could..." Mike said.  
  
"Thanks, Mike. I didn't know how I was going to get Carol to go to sleep. How should I...?"  
  
"Just crush one of the tablets up in some hot chocolate or tea. It's that bad?" Mike asked, sounding very concerned.  
  
Molly just looked at him grimly, "I'm not sure. She hasn't said anything since the airport. Whatever 'it' is - it must be pretty big. Have you managed to get a hold of Ed, yet?"  
  
"No. I've called his apartment three times and he's either not answering his cell-phone or it's been turned off."  
  
"Mike," Molly said hesitantly, "You don't suppose ... I mean, you don't think Ed's the reason Carol's so upset."  
  
"Ed would NEVER hurt Carol, Molls. You know that. At least, not deliberately."  
  
"I know ... It's just that, she was so happy before and then she ..."  
  
"She'll tell us when she's ready, Molly. Till then I'll keep trying to get a hold of Ed. I'd bet good money that he doesn't know Carol's like this."  
  
"Okay ... call if you hear anything, okay?"  
  
"Of course," Mike said, the concerned look still on his face.  
  
Molly watched as Mike walked back to his car. Then after he had gone, she turned, walked back into the house and straight into the kitchen to finish making the tea. She placed the two cups on the serving tray, then she crushed one of the two sedative tablets Mike had obtained from the pharmacy and stirred it into the cup she would give to Carol.  
  
She carried the tea into the living room, and offered it to Carol.  
  
"Here honey, drink this. It'll make you feel better." Carol simply nodded and took the tea. They drank in silence, Carol's attention still distracted by whatever was troubling her. Molly continued to watch Carol, concerned.  
  
About ten minutes after she finished her tea, Carol began to feel the effects of the sedative, and started drifting off. Molly then helped her upstairs and into bed.  
  
Molly sighed and looked at her watch. She had to get to work in seven hours. Today was the last day of school before the holiday break. She thought about calling in sick and staying home to be with Carol, but sensed that her friend might need a little more time to collect herself.  
  
Silently, she walked down the hall to her own room, and went to bed.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer and Sheehan  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
9:00 AM  
  
Ed walked into offices of Farmer & Sheehan. The receptionist looked up, surprised. She had never seen Mr. Stevens ... Ed, come in this late before. Although, he was very clearly dressed for work and clean shaven, it looked like he hadn't slept in two days - which in truth, he hadn't. He wasn't at all himself. He didn't even return her morning greeting, just nodded - almost absently.  
  
As he passed her desk, the receptionist called ahead to Ed's secretary, Deloris, to give her the 'head's up'.  
  
Ed walked down the hallway towards his office. Deloris was just getting off the phone with the receptionist when she saw him and started to say, "Good morning, Ed" but managed - sort of - to change it to just "Morning, Ed." Ed again nodded and walked into his office, closing the door behind him. He removed his suit-coat and absently hung it on the hangar he kept in his private bathroom, then he walked over to his desk and sat down.  
  
He heard a 'crumple' as his suit-coat fell off the hangar and onto the bathroom floor.  
  
He left it there.  
  
He stared at the stack of paperwork waiting for him, but after several long minutes realized that he just couldn't bring himself to work on it. So preoccupied was he with thoughts of Carol, wondering why she had left and if it was somehow his fault.  
  
It was finally Deloris, knocking at his door, which forced his attention back to the there and now. Ed shook himself and sat up straighter, then he called out, "Come in!" and tried to look collected.  
  
Deloris opened the door and slipped in to his office, then closed the door behind her. She walked quickly over to and sat down in front of Ed's desk. She stared at him intently for several seconds - using what she once told Ed was her "secretary-vision".  
  
Ed hated when she did that. Finally, he said, "Yes, Deloris?"  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Deloris said candidly.  
  
"Talk about what?" Ed replied.  
  
"That," Deloris said, pointing at the Carol's letter on Ed's desk.  
  
Ed followed her gaze and winced. "How much do you know?" he finally asked.  
  
"Nothing specific, just that Ms. Vessey stopped by yesterday. She was clearly upset and she left you that letter. And it's bad."  
  
"How do you know...." Ed began to ask, but Deloris interrupted him.  
  
"And before you ask me 'how I know it's bad' I think we both know that I've seen enough old movies to know that when an emotionally distraught woman shows up at the office of the man she loves and leaves him a letter - it's NEVER good," Deloris explained.  
  
"Oh," was Ed's only replied.  
  
"So I'll ask again, do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"What did Carol say?" Ed asked.  
  
"She didn't say what was bothering her, if that's what you're asking. She just asked for the contract, and an envelope for that letter. I wasn't sure what to do about the contract, but since she wasn't a client ..."  
  
"She wasn't planning on signing it was she?" Ed asked, clearly animated.  
  
"I don't know, Ed," Deloris said. "I don't think so. She didn't seem really interested in it."  
  
Ed allowed himself a brief sigh of relief.  
  
"Ed," Deloris asked hesitantly, "You didn't ... Um ... You didn't do anything to hurt that poor girl did you?"  
  
"Of course not! I would NEVER do anything to hurt Carol!" Ed's head whipped up and Deloris could see the pain in his eyes clearly. She could also see how lost and confused he was - it was obvious he didn't know what this was about any more than she did.  
  
Then Ed took the envelope and removed the sheet of paper. He offered it to Deloris who shook her head, feeling like she had stepped too far over the line.  
  
"Read it," Ed said with a small amount of the forceful personality he often showed at work.  
  
Deloris took the note and read it quickly. Her eyes misted up and her hand covered her mouth. She looked up at Ed with sympathy and said, "I'm SO sorry, Ed. I should have realized. But, that poor girl, yesterday. I just ... I just don't understand this. What are you going to do?"  
  
Ed sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. Part of me wants to tear out of here and get to Stuckeyville as fast as I can. But there's another part of me that says that I should respect Carol's wishes. Besides, I *have* to be here when the Henderson contracts are signed tomorrow.  
  
Deloris noticed that Ed had said, he "had" to be there for the contract signing, rather than he "wanted" or he "needed".  
  
Ed sighed, "I ... I just don't know what to do."  
  
Deloris said, "Do you love this girl, Ed?"  
  
Ed looked out the window for moment. His brain filled with image after image of Carol: the very first time he saw her - back in Mr. Roarke's biology class; when she walked into his office a week ago; just after he had pulled her from in front of the cab; the look on her face when he kissed her under the mistletoe; skating at Rockefeller Center; on top of the Empire State Building; turning heads at Windows on the World; kissing him in her hotel room.  
  
"Yes," he breathed. Then looked over at Deloris and shrugged, "...But that doesn't tell me what to do. Something is going on that I don't understand. Something I'm missing."  
  
"What does she mean about it being for the best, specifically for you?" Deloris said.  
  
"That's just it! I haven't the slightest clue what she's talking about," Ed said with a sigh. "That's probably what is confusing me the most. Well, that and the contract. She came to New York to sign with a publishing agent and I have no clue what happened with that."  
  
"Could there have been a problem with her agent .... with Knight Publishing?" Deloris asked.  
  
"I don't know," Ed said. Then the spark returned to his eyes, "But I am GOING to find out." He got up and picked his suit-coat off the floor, then turned back and said, "Deloris, cover for me will you?"  
  
"Sure. But, where are you going?"  
  
"To see Victor Knight," Ed said, a hard gleam in his eye. "Tell Jerry the final review of the Henderson contracts is his responsibility."  
  
Deloris smiled as she watched Ed practically run out of his office.  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Molly Hudson  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
9:30 AM  
  
Carol sat up and rubbed her eyes. At first she was confused. The only thing she was sure of was that she wasn't in her own bed. Then the events of the last 36 hours came rushing back and she gasped, almost in physical pain. She took a deep steadying breath and looked around.  
  
'I'm at Molly's,' Carol thought. 'She brought me here, not to my house.'  
  
Images of last night started to come back to her: Molly at the airport, driving Carol home, getting her tea, helping her upstairs ... after that, it was just a blur.  
  
Carol got up and tried to figure out what to do. Molly had obviously gone in to work. Carol remembered that today should be the last day before the winter break. She wandered downstairs, a dull ache in her chest. She tried to fight off memories of her time in New York with Ed, but it had been a losing battle from the beginning.  
  
She had thought that going back home to Stuckeyville and getting some distance from New York would lessen the pain, but she was surprised to discover that for some reason that it had just made it worse.  
  
She didn't understand that.  
  
She fixed herself some breakfast, just toast and juice. Then decided that she couldn't stay at Molly's any longer, she needed to get home. It wasn't that Molly would've minded, but she felt like she had to try and get back to some kind of normal routine.  
  
She almost laughed, 'Like the holidays are a normal routine!'  
  
She called a cab to take her home. While, she waited, she collected her luggage and briefcase. After about 10 minutes, she heard a car honking out front.  
  
The cab ride to her house was quick - but, fortunately *without* the death defying speeds and antics of New York City taxi's! She wanted to be thankful for that difference, but she ached when all it really did was remind her how much she missed the NYC taxis, riding with Ed and hanging onto him for dear life. She paid the taxi driver, who helped carry her suitcases inside.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Offices of Knight Publishing  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
10:00 AM  
  
The security guard directed Ed to one of the elevators that went above the 30th floor. "Knight Publishing is on the 56th floor, sir,' he told him.  
  
Ed nodded.  
  
Ed wasn't sure what he was going to say when he got there, but he knew he'd figure something out. The elevator stopped at the 37th, 41st, and 42nd floors before going the rest of the way to his destination. He got off the elevator and went through the double glass doors detailed with Knight Publishing's corporate logo. The receptionist looked up, saw Ed, and smiled brightly. "May I help you, sir," she said in her nasally tones.  
  
"Yes," Ed said, confidently. "I'd like to see Victor Knight."  
  
The receptionist's smile faltered somewhat. She knew that her boss didn't have any appointments that morning and said, "Do you have an appointment, sir?"  
  
"No," Ed said. "But please tell Mr. Knight that Carol Vessey's attorney is here to see him."  
  
The receptionist's eyes widened, but she got on the phone and had a hurried, whispered conversation. She finally looked back at Ed, who had wandered over to one of the glass coffee tables to look at the books, and said, "Mr. Knight will be with you in a moment."  
  
Ed nodded and continued to look at the books, his hands clasped behind his back.  
  
After a few minutes, Victor Knight strode out into the reception area followed by an associate. He stopped and spotted Ed, immediately understanding just who Ed was from Carol's description of the male lead in the novel she had been working on. Just to be sure, he cast a questioning glance over at the receptionist, who nodded.  
  
He walked over and said, "I'm Victor Knight." He offered his hand.  
  
Ed hid his reluctance and shook Victor's hand and said, "Ed Stevens with Farmer & Sheehan."  
  
Victor smiled. "This is David Coe, my right hand here at Knight Publishing." Ed and David shook hands.  
  
"Why don't we talk in the conference room, Mr. Stevens," Victor said and indicated a room three doors down and to the left.  
  
"Certainly," Ed replied, following the two gentlemen.  
  
After they were in the conference room, Victor took a seat at the farthest end of the table. Ed took the seat farthest from Victor. David Coe, who had waited to close the door, took a seat next to his boss.  
  
"Well then, Mr. Stevens," Victor said, "what can we do for you. You said you represented Carol Vessey, is that correct?"  
  
"Yes, I do," Ed said. "I guess I'm here to see if you can clarify something for me."  
  
"Such as?" Victor asked.  
  
"Did Ms. Vessey sign the contract you gave her last week?" Ed asked matter- of-factly.  
  
Victor looked over at David, who replied, "Why no, Mr. Stevens. She called yesterday afternoon and said that she was not going to accept our very generous offer and that she was returning to Ohio. Very sudden and, well, to be frank, ... *very* unprofessional."  
  
"I see," Ed replied. "Thank you for your time gentlemen." Ed stood and started towards the conference room door. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard Victor Knight whisper to his associate,  
  
"I bet she played *him* too."  
  
Ed stopped, and without turning around, said, "Excuse me?"  
  
"Nothing. It was nothing," David Coe tried to cover for his boss.  
  
Ed still hadn't turned around, so the two men were unable to see that there was a certain fire in his eyes when he replied, "Oh, it wasn't 'nothing', Mr. Coe. It was most definitely 'something'."  
  
Victor stood up and walked towards Ed, "Look, Stevens,... Ed. We're both influential men, you and I. It certainly wouldn't be the first time - at least in *my* case - that an attractive woman like Carol would use her (ahem) 'assets' to promote herself."  
  
Ed still refused to turn and look at him, he just replied, "Mr. Knight, I'm afraid I don't know *what* you're talking about."  
  
Victor smiled at him coyly - as if he were acknowledging some insider's joke. "It's okay, Ed. We're all friends here. It's nothing to be ashamed about. I mean it's not as if you were the only one she fooled, why if last Friday was any indication, I'm sure Ms. Vessey has quite a list of ... Oh how shall I put this? ... Friends' willing to do her a favor."  
  
Knight glanced back at Coe, not seeing that Ed's fist had begun to clench.  
  
"Victor...?" Ed said coldly.  
  
"Yes," Victor turned back towards Ed, a second before Ed's fist smashed into his jaw sending him backwards and across the conference room table.  
  
Ed remained there, standing silently over Knight's dazed form. Then he looked over at David Coe, and saw by his shamed expression that he wanted no part in Knight's slander of Carol. Then he looked back down at Knight.  
  
"Victor, I am going to say this once, and only once. You and I are NOT friends. We will NEVER be friends. And if I hear that you've repeated this slander to *anyone* I will make it my mission in life to ruin you. Am I clear?"  
  
Victor, still dazed, did not respond. However, David spoke for him, "Very clear, Mr. Stevens. I'm terribly sorry for this 'incident'. You can be sure that it will not happen again."  
  
"Make sure that it doesn't," Ed replied coldly, then he yanked open the conference room door, startling two Knight Publishing staff members who had been listening to the commotion inside. Ed walked out of the office and to the elevators. He smiled with satisfaction as the elevator door closed and took him to the ground floor.  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Carol Vessey  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
10:30 AM  
  
Carol had just finished unpacking the first of her suitcases. What didn't get put away was tossed into her laundry basket. She lifted the second suitcase to the bed, unlocked it and opened it. And immediately regretted it.  
  
Lying on top was the wrapped Vera Wang Barbie doll Ed had given her. Carol felt the pain return to her chest and she had trouble breathing. 'How could I have forgotten this was in here!?' she thought. She took a deep breath and took it out, quickly emptying the rest of the suitcase. Then she set aside the little gifts she had purchased for everyone - as she would need to wrap them later.  
  
She put the suitcases away in a nearby closet and then took the gifts downstairs - including the one from Ed. As she put the gift from Ed under her Christmas tree (which, she noted, Molly had dutifully watered in her absence) she paused to read the tag once again. 'To Carol. Love, Ed.' She felt her eyes tear up as she read the last part, but fought them back. She promised herself she wasn't going to start crying again - she wasn't!  
  
She had just finished up wrapping the small "New York" gifts when her phone rang. She tensed, unsure if it would be Ed or not. She let the answering machine pick up and listened.  
  
"Carol, its Molly. If you're there pick ..."  
  
Carol grabbed the phone receiver. "Hey, Molls," Carol said softly.  
  
"Hey, Carol," Molly said. "How are you doing this morning, sweetie?"  
  
"Okay," Carol said, "I guess. How are you?"  
  
"Me," Molly said, "I'm fine."  
  
There was an awkward pause in the conversation. Molly had hoped that Carol would open up, but it seemed like it was going to take a more direct, face- to-face effort.  
  
"Well," Molly said with a sigh, "I just wanted to be sure that you had gotten home okay."  
  
"Yeah, I did," Carol said. "Molls?"  
  
"Yeah?" Molly replied.  
  
"Thanks for last night," Carol said. "You know, picking me up at the airport and letting me stay over at your house."  
  
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Molly asked, smiling.  
  
Hearing Molly smile helped raise Carol's spirits somewhat. "Well," Carol said, "I guess I should let you get back to work. Wouldn't want the hyenas to get the upper hand."  
  
"Hah," Molly said, "some days its actually the wildebeests I'm more scared of."  
  
"Carol ... " Molly said more quietly.  
  
"Yeah, Molls," Carol said.  
  
"I'll be over right after school. So we can ... talk," Molly said.  
  
Carol sighed and said, "I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about it, Molly. It ... it's hard."  
  
"I know, sweetie," Molly said, "but I think you NEED to talk about it."  
  
"We'll see," Carol said.  
  
There was a pause in the conversation, then Carol heard Molly shout, "Warren! Warren Cheswick!! Stop right there mister or, my hand to God, the only thing you will find in your stocking on Christmas morning is a big ol' can of whup ass!"  
  
Molly came back on the phone, "Carol, I need to go. Warren Cheswick is running down the hall in a speedo and a Santa's cap handing out little trinkets to the female students. Be glad - be VERY glad - you're not here to see this! Bye!"  
  
"Bye, Molly," Carol chuckled, and hung up the phone.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer and Sheehan  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
11:00 AM  
  
Ed walked into Farmer & Sheehan, again startling the receptionist. This time it was because of the way he whipped the door open and strode into the office. He nodded at her as he sped past.  
  
He was still more than a little keyed up from his 'meeting' with Victor Knight. He smiled with grim satisfaction at the memory of Knight sprawled on the conference room table, a small trickle of blood oozing from the left side of his mouth.  
  
Ed walked passed Deloris, who noted his rather more purposeful attitude, and into his office with a head jerk indicated that he wanted her to follow.  
  
Deloris rose and quickly followed Ed into his office. He closed the door as she came inside. He took off his coat and threw it over a chair and began pacing. Deloris sat in one of the other chairs and just watched, fascinated.  
  
"Well," Ed said, "whatever is going on with Carol doesn't seem to have anything to do with Knight Publishing. She called them yesterday and told them she wasn't taking the deal and that she was going back home to Stuckeyville."  
  
"Well then," Deloris said continuing to watch Ed pace back and forth across his office, "Why would she ..." She noticed Ed rubbing his hand, more specifically the *knuckles* of his right hand.  
  
"Ed...?" she smiled.  
  
"Yes?" Ed continued pacing.  
  
"Is there something you'd like to tell me about your *meeting* with Victor Knight?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"ED!" Deloris grew impatient.  
  
"I hit him."  
  
"You did what?!!!"  
  
"I hit him. And before you say another word. He earned it," Ed said coldly. "I won't repeat what he said about Carol."  
  
"Did you hit him hard?"  
  
"...knocked him clear across a conference table," Ed replied, waiting for Deloris to lecture him about how 'violence didn't solve anything'.  
  
Instead she just said, "Good for you. Will there be anything else?"  
  
"Yes, now that you mention it. Get me the first available flight to Cleveland after the Henderson contract signing. I'm going to Stuckeyville to straighten this out!"  
  
Deloris smiled again and began to walk out of the office. When she reached the door, she stopped, turned back around and said "...You did say 'clear across a conference table' right?"  
  
"Yes," Ed leaned back in his chair and smiled, "Yes I did."  
  
"Just checking." Deloris said, "I'll just go and get that flight reservation, now," and she walked back out into the outer office. Leaving Ed to wander just how long it would take before the entire office knew about his encounter with Victor Knight.  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Carol Vessey  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
3:30 PM  
  
Carol was startled by a knock on the front door. She looked up at the clock. 'It's 3:30!' Carol thought. 'How did it get so late?'  
  
But she knew.  
  
After her phone call with Molly, Carol had spent the entire day sitting on the couch. She hadn't really done anything, just sat there. She hadn't even had lunch - not that she'd felt hungry. No, that wasn't right either - she had done something. She'd thought about Ed.  
  
Carol figured it was probably Molly, since school was out. She sighed and got up, mentally preparing herself for the grilling she knew her friend was going to give her. She opened the door and was so startled that she took a step backwards. It wasn't Molly.  
  
It was Nick Stanton!  
  
He had on his trademark jeans and blazer - and he was as handsome as ever. He flashed Carol his usual smile, but Carol found herself oddly unimpressed.  
  
He said, "Hello, Carol."  
  
"Nick, um, hi," Carol said. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well," Nick said, "that's not a very heartwarming greeting."  
  
They looked at one another for a minute before Nick said, "Are you going to let me in, or are we going to stand here all day?"  
  
"Oh, um," Carol said, "I'm still in the middle of unpacking and the house isn't really guest-friendly at the moment..." Carol hesitated, then finally said "Sure. Come on in."  
  
She stepped back and let Nick enter the house. When he was inside, he went to kiss her - at the last second she turned her head so that he kissed just her cheek.  
  
"So," Nick said as he walked into the living room and sat, "how was your trip to New York?"  
  
"Er, good," Carol said. She still wasn't sure what Nick was doing there. She followed him into the living room and sat down on the opposite couch.  
  
"Things go okay with Knight Publishing?" Nick asked. "I assume you got my message. You know, I've actually heard good things about Knight lately. Hah! Maybe I should consider signing with them myself."  
  
Carol just sat there looking at Nick.  
  
"Carol?" Nick asked.  
  
"Hmm? Yeah?" Carol said.  
  
"How did it go with Knight Publishing?" Nick asked for a second time.  
  
"You know, Nick," Carol said, "I don't think I want to talk about my dealings with Knight Publishing with you."  
  
Nick looked surprised. "Okay," Nick said, drawing out the word. Then he just stared at her.  
  
"Nick," Carol said, "why are you here?"  
  
"I just wanted to check and see how you were," Nick said. "See how your trip to New York went. When I heard Molly talking to you on her cell phone earlier I realized you were back in town, so I thought I would just drop by."  
  
"But why would you do that?" Carol asked. "We're not a couple anymore, Nick. Its over."  
  
"But it shouldn't be!" Nick said. "I still can't believe you broke *us* up over a waffle?"  
  
Carol noticed how Nick had said "us" as if it was supposed to have some special significance. But if that had really been true, they wouldn't *have* broken up. She sighed, "Nick, the waffle was just a symptom of a larger problem."  
  
"What larger problem?!" Nick said, a note of anger creeping into his voice. "Your ending our relationship because of some silly epiphany you had while making waffles is childish. I think its about time that you grew up and realized that I'm the best thing that has ever happened to you! Before its too late!"  
  
Carol sat there shocked, temporarily unable to believe that Nick had just said what he did. '*He's* the best thing to ever happen to me? He has got to be kidding,' she found herself thinking.  
  
Carol stood up and said, "You've overstayed your welcome, Nick!"  
  
Nick stood up, but didn't move, "Carol, let's talk about this."  
  
"Go!" Carol said and pointed at the door. Nick moved towards the front door, but paused in the foyer.  
  
"This is silly. Now you're throwing me out of your house?" Nick said.  
  
"I'm *trying* to, but it doesn't seem to be getting through your thick skull!" Carol said in a raised voice.  
  
Nick opened the door, swinging the screen door open as well. He said, "You know that you and I should be together. You just need to be an adult about this."  
  
"NO!!" Carol said vehemently. "We are not meant to be together. I know that with absolute certainty now. I've seen what real love is like! I've felt what real love is like! I've looked into someone's eyes and gotten myself lost in them - deliriously lost! What *we* had (she moved her hand back and forth between herself and Nick) doesn't even compare. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't go back to what we had...its empty...hollow. I may not be able to have..."  
  
Carol stopped, she had been about to say Ed's name. She choked for a moment, then continued, "Go, Nick. And don't come back."  
  
Nick stood there stunned for a moment, unable to believe the passion and the intensity with which Carol had just spoken. He turned and suddenly realized that Molly, Nancy and Mike were standing on the porch - off to the side of the door. Mike was holding two bags - from the smell they were obviously Chinese food. Nick was mortified. To have been spoken to like that by Carol was bad enough - but to have witnesses to it was too much. He whirled around and marched off to his car.  
  
Molly, Nancy, and Mike walked in the front door, startling Carol, who hadn't seen them there either. They had surprised expressions on their faces.  
  
"Um, hey Carol," Molly said.  
  
Carol looked embarrassed and said, "Oh, sorry guys! I didn't know you were out there. You...you shouldn't have heard that."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Mike asked, "I wouldn't have missed THAT for the world."  
  
Nancy punched Mike in the arm. Mike said, "What?"  
  
"When I answered the door earlier, I thought it would be you, Molls," Carol said as she hugged Molly. "I never would have answered the door if I had known it was Nick."  
  
Then she looked over at Mike and Nancy and raised an eyebrow. "I see you've brought backup?"  
  
Molly just shrugged and smiled. Molly, Mike and Nancy slipped off their coats, and the foursome made their way to Carol's dining room. Carol was surprised to note that she WAS hungry and she pulled out plates, utensils, and glasses.  
  
At the dining room table, they all sort of stared at one another for a while as they filled their stomachs on wonton soup, eggrolls, chicken with broccoli, pork egg foo young, and chicken and shrimp. It was quiet - it was obvious that Carol and Molly were engaged in a battle of wills to see who would talk first.  
  
Carol won.  
  
"Come on, Carol," Molly said, "what happened in New York? All I know is that you went to New York to settle some legal matters with a publisher, the president of the publishing company turned out to be a jerk, you think Ed Stevens is a great guy, and now you're back home in Stuckeyville a day early and an emotional wreck. I think, and correct me if I'm wrong here, that I may be missing a few items from the middle of the story."  
  
"DON'T start with me...!" Carol's replied.  
  
Molly just looked at Carol, "I'm not starting with you. We're your friends Carol, we want to help you... if you'll let us."  
  
"Would someone please pass the duck sauce?" Mike asked. 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer and Sheehan  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
6:00 PM  
  
The office Christmas party at Farmer & Sheehan was just getting started. The managing partners had spared no expense this year, and it was soon obvious to everyone that it was going to be quite a bash - *especially* in light of the completion of the Henderson deal the next day. Most of the work-related activity at the firm had shut down by four o'clock and some staff began hanging decorations in the office. By 4:30 PM, the caterers had arrived with the food and drink.  
  
Ed was just finishing with what should be his last meeting on the Henderson contracts. Actually, Jerry Pender had run most of the meeting, Ed having rather quickly turned it over to him once the introductions were made. In fact, Ed spent the majority of the meeting staring out the window at the New York skyline, speaking up only when absolutely necessary.  
  
By 6:15 PM, everyone had filed out of the conference room except for Ed and Jerry. Jerry looked over at Ed and said, "Are you okay, Ed."  
  
"Hmm," Ed said distractedly. "Oh, um, yeah. Just got a lot on my mind, that's all. By the way, Jerry, thanks for covering for me and running this meeting. You did a great job. Actually, this merger wouldn't have happened without you."  
  
"That's not the way Miranda's telling it around the office," Jerry replied. "I can't believe you called Shaffer's counsel 'The Law Firm of Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle Dum." He chuckled. "She said they tried some last minute re- negotiations and that you really pulled the rug right out from under them."  
  
"I'll just bet she did," Ed said, a tad sarcastically. "Don't listen to Miranda. I couldn't have pulled this off without you."  
  
Jerry just waved aside the compliment, but was secretly pleased. He knew the office scuttlebutt about Ed's probable promotion to partner and it wouldn't hurt to have a friend like Ed in that position.  
  
"Just doing my job, Ed," Jerry said.  
  
Ed smiled sadly and said, "Where have I heard that before?"  
  
Jerry grinned, but then sobered. "Seriously," he said, "are you okay. There's a buzz around the office today that something big is going on, but no one seems to know what. And you seem really down. Did you and Carol have a fight?"  
  
Ed winced at Carol's name. 'Uh oh,' Jerry thought.  
  
Ed sighed and said, "Not exactly."  
  
"Well, that cleared things right up then," Jerry said.  
  
"Carol went back to Stuckeyville a day early," Ed said sadly. "She left me a note asking not to follow after her ... that it would 'be better for me' if I let her go."  
  
"That's ridiculous!" Jerry exclaimed, "You two kids are great together. Everybody sees that."  
  
Ed looked at Jerry quizzically, "Kids? Jerry you're only five years older than I am."  
  
"So I'm channeling the spirit of my father ... so sue me."  
  
"What do you mean you're channeling the spirit of your father?!! You can't channel the spirit of your father. Your parents are still alive. They live in Tallahassee. I just got a Christmas card from them."  
  
Jerry shook his head and said, "Ed. Just go with it. Okay?"  
  
"Oh," Ed nodded.  
  
"Ed, you know that my wife complains every now and then that I haven't risen higher at Farmer & Sheehan. Well, I like playing second banana and not being one of the big boys. Do you know why?"  
  
Ed shook his head and said, "No."  
  
"Because I don't want to be put in a position where I," Jerry said pointing at Ed instead of himself, "have to choose between my job and my wife or family. (Jerry leaned in close and spoke more quietly) Ed, being a lawyer is a career choice, but this is still just a job. Carol, well it seems to me that Carol is about life and love and those two things top a job any day of the week in my book. Just remember, some day you're supposed to retire from your job. If Carol isn't there when you do, what good is it?"  
  
Ed stood there stunned. In all the time he'd known Jerry he'd never heard him speak like that. He was both impressed and touched. He nodded and said quietly, "Thanks, Jerry. I'll remember that."  
  
Jerry smiled, slightly embarrassed that he had said all that. Then he put his arm around Ed and started leading him out to the party, "You ARE going after her, aren't you?"  
  
"Deloris made the plane reservations this morning."  
  
"Way to go, sport! Now, come on, let's go celebrate this damn acquisition almost being over. I'll buy you a drink."  
  
"Jerry," Ed said, "the drinks are free."  
  
"Well then," Jerry said with a laugh, "I'll buy you two!"  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Carol Vessey  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
6:30 PM  
  
Once Carol started talking she couldn't stop.  
  
"It started on the flight to New York ...", Carol told them how she'd spent the majority of her flight to New York reviewing the contract Knight Publishing had mailed to her, and then the harrowing cab ride from the airport, "You know how they tell you that when you're about to die, your whole life flashes before you?"  
  
"Yeah?" Molly replied. Mike and Nancy just nodded.  
  
"Whoever wrote that must have been riding in a New York City taxi-cab at the time. I mean ... I finally understand what people mean when they say 'I found religion'! I must have said about a thousand prayers while he was weaving in and out of traffic!" Carol said.  
  
"Well, you obviously made it to the hotel in one piece, so ..." Nancy quipped.  
  
"What my dear wife is trying to so delicately say, is get to the good part!"  
  
"Yeah, the good part!" Molly affirmed.  
  
Carol grinned in amusement at her friend's impatience. She knew they just wanted to help her. And there was a part of her that really did want to get to the "good part" of the story - about her time with Ed, but she just felt like she wasn't ready yet. So, instead she told them her first night in New York City and about the surprising homesickness she felt for Stuckeyville.  
  
"Yep," Mike said, "there is NO place like Stuckeyville!"  
  
"Quit stalling!" Molly replied.  
  
From the look on Molly's face, Carol knew that she couldn't keep hiding and so she starting talking about her first meeting with Knight Publishing and the sudden contract change that prompted her decision to seek Ed's help. The second she said Ed's name, the expressions on her three friends' faces switched from mild amusement to intense interest.  
  
"Aha! NOW we're finally getting somewhere," Mike stated.  
  
And Carol told them about her meeting Ed, seeing him for the first time and how he had almost knocked the lamp off his desk. Molly and Nancy laughed. Mike seemed to have a pained expression on his face.  
  
"Wait, it gets better," Carol said. "When he went to shake my hand, his hand was full of raisins and he said - I kid you not - 'Raisins! They're.they're nature's candy!'"  
  
The three women laughed. Mike looked on surprised and said, "I don't get it? They ARE nature's candy!" Molly, Carol, and Nancy laughed even harder and Nancy just patted his arm.  
  
Carol told them how when she had asked Ed about the baseball bat in his office, he had deftly turned it around and wheedled a flattering comparison between him and Tom Cruise out of her. "I couldn't believe it. One minute I was asking him about the bat, and the next minute I was telling him he was like Tom Cruise!"  
  
"Hah!" Nancy said. "That sounds like Eddie all right!"  
  
Carol continued her story, telling them how Ed had agreed to look over the contract and had started to walk her back to her hotel. ".I lost my balance and stepped off the curb. Ed pulled me back just in the nick of time, otherwise I would be just a hood ornament for some New York City taxi!"  
  
"Oh my god, Carol!" Molly exclaimed. "Did you get the cab's license plate number?"  
  
"I... uh," Carol blushed, "... didn't get the chance. It, uh ... went by so fast." Carol didn't see the point in telling them how she had just felt so content in Ed's arms. 'I had just met him twenty minutes earlier, they'll think I'm just acting like some silly school girl with a crush'.  
  
"Oh..." they all nodded, understanding.  
  
'Pheeeew' Carol thought.  
  
"Later that night, Ed and I went out sightseeing." Carol said. Molly noted the warmth in Carol's eyes as she talked about that first evening, the connection she had felt so quickly with Ed and the wonderful time they'd had.  
  
"When I realized he wasn't going to kiss me," Carol said, "I kissed HIM."  
  
"You go, girlfriend!" Molly said with a grin.  
  
Mike didn't say anything, but exchanged a quick knowing glance with his wife.  
  
"When I woke on Friday, I was just inspired!" Carol said. She told them about her new book and outlined the plot and characters, they all noted the similarities between the male lead and Ed - something that Carol finally admitted.  
  
"Am I in it?" Mike asked suddenly, surprising the women.  
  
"Wuh.what?" Carol asked.  
  
"Am I in the book? Ed's in the book. What about me?" Mike asked.  
  
"Well," Carol said, hesitantly, "um, not exactly."  
  
"What does that mean?" Mike asked.  
  
"Um, there is a doctor in the book," Carol said in a non-committal tone.  
  
"And he's a young, handsome doctor with brown hair and a great sense of humor, right?" Mike said.  
  
"MIKE!" Nancy exclaimed.  
  
"Um, no," Carol said, clearly uncomfortable. "He's, uh, a little older, balding with, um, glasses and is kind of, uh, rough around the edges."  
  
"Oh," Molly said, amused, "sounds more like Dr. Jerome than Dr. Burton."  
  
"Really," Carol said, desperately trying to sound surprised and innocent. "I, uh, hadn't noticed."  
  
Mike glared at Carol, but didn't say anything further. He just sat there and sulked.  
  
She spoke with disgust about the evening with Victor Knight and how she had wished so much that Ed had been there. "Ugh! That man was such a swine. I had to take a shower when I got back to the hotel room.... By the way, Molly, thanks again."  
  
Molly waved it off and said, "No problem. But I do have to remember that little escape tactic next time I need to talk to Toby at school."  
  
"I can't believe she put Dr. Jerome in the book!" Mike whispered disappointedly. However, the three women ignored him.  
  
"Saturday was a dream." Carol began, her eyes bright as she talked about the shopping trip, helping Ed find gifts for his family and friends, picking up little items for each of the three at the table with her.  
  
"I mean, the man has the face of a squid ..." Mike continued, more to himself than anything. Nancy shot a disapproving glance at him, but said nothing.  
  
Molly eyes teared up and she held Carol's hand while Carol told them about the pendant. "Molls," Carol said a little emotionally, "I couldn't believe it. It was identical to my mother's. I just wish it hadn't be so expensive!"  
  
"I went to one of the most prestigious medical schools in the country... *HE* studied with Dr. Frankenstein ...." Mike said, *still* sulking. This time Nancy elbowed him hard in the arm.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
"You're like a nine-year old crying that someone took his Zagnut bar! Now, quit moping about the book," Nancy said, clearly exasperated at her husband's incessant rivalry with Dr. Jerome, "Carol's probably going to put you in the sequel, right Carol?"  
  
"Uh... Right." Carol covered, "I had a few thoughts on that just the other day."  
  
"Well that's different then," Mike replied, proudly beaming. No longer depressed over yet another defeat, Mike listened intently along with the others as Carol told them about Ed's chaste kiss under the mistletoe. Nancy was clearly surprised that Ed hadn't been more bold, given his high school crush on Carol, but said nothing.  
  
"FAO Schwartz was so ..., so... You guys would have loved it." She mentioned the Vera Wang Barbie that Ed had bought her over her strenuous objections. "It was very expensive, but I couldn't talk him out of it! He's very stubborn - VERY sweet, but stubborn."  
  
They all laughed again as Carol described her lack of prowess at ice skating, but they all noted how she kept using certain adjectives (strong, athletic, sturdy) in her descriptions of Ed's teaching her to skate.  
  
"I couldn't believe it. There I am, trying to maintain my balance, my arms flapping around like I'm trying to take flight - and Ed is just gliding along."  
  
"Well," Mike said, "the key to good skating is to wear sturdy pants."  
  
Carol, Molly, and Nancy just looked at him. Mike said, "What?"  
  
Carol was just about to tell them about how she had shown Ed how you were supposed to kiss someone under the mistletoe, when she looked over at Mike and became a little embarrassed. Nancy picked up on the silent clue, and grabbed her husband's arm.  
  
"Mike, don't you think you'd better check on Sarah?"  
  
"Nance, she's with the sitter. She's fine."  
  
"MIKE."  
  
"Alright. But this was just getting good." Mike sensed he wasn't going to win this one. He stood up, grabbed his coat and started towards the door. Then he turned, walked quickly back to the table and grabbed one of the boxes of take-out Chinese food. Then he walked out of the kitchen and towards the front door.  
  
Once they were sure that Mike wasn't coming back, Carol told them about the fourth kiss she'd shared with Ed. Third if you didn't count the peck on the cheek he'd given her under the mistletoe, which as Carol explained she *didn't*.  
  
"I stepped forward, put my hand behind his head." When she was done, Nancy and Molly shared a look.  
  
Carol continued, telling them about the Sunday she had spent with Ed. "This time, he showed up with roses.in a vase..." She continued, telling them about how she'd first been terrified on the observation deck at the Empire State Building but, how one look in Ed's eyes ("He's got such incredible blue eyes..." she had sighed) had given her the strength to not only look out at the city from so dizzying a height - but to enjoy it.  
  
"Really!?" Molly exclaimed. "Wow. I know what a basket case you turn into just trying to climb a ladder."  
  
"I don't turn into a basket-case when I climb a ladder!" Carol snapped back. Then she paused, "Do I?"  
  
"You do honey," Molly replied.  
  
"She's right." Nancy added.  
  
Carol blushed, as if appreciating all over again the way Ed had helped her overcome her fear that day. She continued, "Then we had to make a detour into Ed's office," Carol said, her voice chilling the room. Molly actually shivered when Carol recounted the conversation with Miranda because of Carol's icy tone.  
  
"I hate her. I don't even know her, and I already hate her," Nancy said.  
  
Carol's tone warmed and her eyes danced when she described the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular and the dinner she and Ed had shared at the German restaurant. She mentioned the kiss at the end of the night. "It was so unforced, .... so spontaneous. So, perfect!" Carol said with a sigh.  
  
"When I got up on Monday, though, all I could think about." She spoke about her nagging thoughts about Ed's relationship with Miranda. How they had caused her to write some more discordant pieces into her novel.  
  
"Then it hit me! I... I was... I was falling in love with Ed!" Carol said quietly.  
  
"Well... duh!" Molly said. Nancy just nodded.  
  
She told them about her decision to 'knock his socks off'. Molly and Nancy giggled like teenagers when they heard Carol's description of the black dress she had bought.  
  
The three women were startled, when they heard a wolf-whistle coming from Carol's living room. They suddenly realized Mike had not actually left the house - he'd just gone into the other room.  
  
"Michael Roger Burton," Nancy asked, "I thought I told you to go check on Sarah?"  
  
"I was going to, but I realized I could just call the house," Mike said as he fished his cell phone out of his coat pocket and waved it back and forth. "Everything is fine and Sarah is already in bed."  
  
Carol clearly looked embarrassed.  
  
"How much did you hear?" Nancy demanded.  
  
"Nothing. NOTHING! Okay, maybe something about incredible blue eyes, perfect kisses, falling in love, and a black dress. But that's it. I swear!"  
  
Nancy just *looked* at him with that oh-you-are-so-in-for-it-when-we-get- home-Michael-Roger-Burton-look. Molly, however, was quick to break the tension, "Actually, it's a good thing you're here, Mike"  
  
"It is?" Mike asked, a bit confused but grateful for the sudden reprieve.  
  
"It is?!!" Nancy and Carol asked, equally confused.  
  
"Of course," Molly explained, "because we need someone to make an ice cream run!"  
  
"It's the middle of winter and you want ice cream?" Mike asked.  
  
"Times like this always call for ice cream," Molly insisted.  
  
Mike stood his ground stubbornly for a moment, then sighed and stood up. As he put his coat back on he said, "You know, this is just a conspiracy to keep me from hearing any of the good stuff!"  
  
"Yep," Molly said with a smile. "Rocky Road and Mint Chocolate Chip, please."  
  
Mike stalked out the door.  
  
Carol picked up her story, moving on to her evening with Ed at 'Windows on the World'. Carol described the incredible setting of the restaurant, the view, and how Ed couldn't take his eyes off of her. The passion, the emotion in her voice was clearly evident.  
  
"Wow!" Molly said. "Sound like an incredibly romantic evening!"  
  
"Mmm," was all Carol said, completely lost in her tale now. She didn't even realize the intimate details she was giving away when she said, "So I took him by the hand and led into my room." Nancy's eyebrows rose and rose and looked like they were going to become part of her hairline. Nancy thought, 'I am SO glad we got Mike out of here before THIS!'  
  
Carol's face flushed as shared the details of their kissing and groping. She wasn't the only one - both Molly and Nancy were clearly 'involved' in the story. 'If she puts this much detail into her book, they may need to publish it as a adult book!' Molly thought with a flush.  
  
But all eyes returned to her when she spoke about how Miranda had called, ruining the moment, the passion. She talked about almost crying herself to sleep.  
  
"That bitch!" Molly and Nancy declared in unison.  
  
"So we made plans to get together on Tuesday night to talk, but I couldn't wait," Carol said. She told them how she had decided to take him to lunch. Molly's hand reached over and held Carol's hand as her voice broke. After a deep breath, Carol told them how she had found out - through Miranda - that Ed had to go out of town on business.  
  
Carol's voice dropped to a whisper as she told them what Miranda had said. Nancy hissed and Molly said, "This woman better hope I never meet her!"  
  
They were shocked when Carol told them she had agreed. "Ed can't come back to Stuckeyville to be with me - he would have to give up everything! And Stuckeyville. Stuckeyville is my HOME - I couldn't leave Stuckeyville and live in New York."  
  
Neither Molly nor Nancy knew what to say about that.  
  
"So I made the decision." She related how she had made the decision to call off her deal with Knight Publishing.  
  
"You're kidding me!?" Molly cried. "This is all you've ever wanted!"  
  
And finally, Carol told them how she had left a note for Ed, asking him not to follow, that it would be best for him. Molly's eyes started to tear, as did Nancy's. Carol finished her story, telling them how she had gotten a flight back home.  
  
There was silence for about two minutes. Carol was exhausted. She hadn't realized how much she HAD needed to get that story out. Now that she was done, she was spent. Molly and Nancy were trying to figure out what to say.  
  
Unsurprisingly, it was Molly who spoke first, she handed Carol her cell- phone.  
  
"Call him," she said.  
  
***  
  
New York City - the Law Offices of Farmer and Sheehan  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
8:00 PM  
  
The office Christmas party had been in full swing for about two hours now. Ed wasn't really in a very "festive" mood, but he felt that he had to be there for his staff and his friends at the firm. After all, just because he was miserable that the woman he'd loved his entire life had suddenly and inexplicably flown back to Ohio, didn't mean that he should bring down their holiday too. Besides, since he'd already decided that he was going to Stuckeyville to straighten things out with Carol and was only still in New York until he'd fulfilled his obligations with regard to the Henderson account, the party was a nice alternative to pacing back and forth in his apartment.  
  
He looked across the room at Jerry Pender, who was doing his famous "Jack Nicholson" impersonation for a couple of staffers. 'Those guys must be new', Ed thought, 'everyone else at the firm has heard Jerry's 'Nicholson' at least a dozen times. Ed continued watching. He knew Jerry's 'Nicholson' routine by heart now. "You want the truth? YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH" he whispered in unison with Jerry's much louder and far more 'Nicholson'-like rendition. Then he chuckled.  
  
He looked around for Deloris, finding her standing in the crowd of the other office secretaries. No doubt swapping stories of children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and in a few cases, great-grandchildren. Deloris and Irving had been married for an amazing thirty-five years. And while Deloris had been reluctant to acknowledge it in recent months - not wanting it to become a reminder to Ed of his own failed marriage - it had actually been a source of comfort to Ed. It had served as reminder that it was not Love - only his marriage - that had failed.  
  
It was while Ed was watching Deloris, that Robert Farmer and Roy Sheehan had made their way over to him, once again praising Ed for his efforts on the Henderson account. More specifically, praising him for the hardball negotiating tactics that had stymied Shaffer's attempted last minute re- negotiations. Although Ed tried to wave it off, Farmer and Sheehan told him they were definitely looking forward to having lunch with him on January 3rd.  
  
They chatted for several more minutes, exchanging pleasantries, and talking about their plans for the holidays. Ed had even confessed that he was flying back to Ohio after the contracts were signed. Farmer was concerned at Ed's admission that his plans were last-minute, and inquired if 'everything was alright at home.' Not wanting to burden his boss with his trouble with Carol, Ed lied and assured him that it was - it was just that he'd decided he wanted to spend Christmas with his friends back home.  
  
After a few more minutes, the managing partners excused themselves to go freshen their drinks. Ed decided that it was an appropriate time to get away himself and slipped down the hallway and into his office. He closed the door quietly behind him. Then leaned against the door and sighed heavily. He was not, by nature, a patient man - and even with the Christmas party as a distraction, waiting until Friday morning to fly to Ohio wasn't easy.  
  
He walked into his bathroom and ran some cold water, splashing his face.  
  
Because of the running water, he didn't hear his office door open and close.  
  
Miranda had seen Ed slip down the hallway and into his office. She'd been admiring him from across the room for much of the last two hours, waiting for an opportunity to get him alone and she decided that NOW was the perfect time. She finished the last of her glass of champagne and followed him down the hallway. As she did so, she looked around to see if anyone noticed. Satisfied that no one had, she opened the door to Ed's office and slipped inside.  
  
She was wrong.  
  
As soon as she was in the office, Miranda heard the water running in Ed's bathroom and saw him bent over the sink. She smiled sexily - her inhibitions sufficiently lowered by the modest amount of alcohol she'd had - and moved closer to the bathroom, unbuttoning another button on her silk blouse as she did so.  
  
Ed walked out of his bathroom, toweling off his face. With the towel covering his eyes, he walked right into Miranda. They stumbled and Ed instinctively reached out and grabbed Miranda to steady the both of them. Miranda smiled dreamily. However, once Ed had steadied himself and realized it was Miranda, he released her and quickly stepped back.  
  
"Miranda? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to walk into you like that. I was washing up in the bathroom. I didn't see you come in."  
  
"That's alright," Miranda ran her hands seductively down the front of her blouse, "nothing seems to be broken."  
  
"Is there something you wanted?" Ed asked, clearly not getting *it*.  
  
"What?" Miranda replied, surprised that yet *again* Ed had failed to notice her not so subtle attempt to attract him.  
  
"I said is there something I can help you with?"  
  
Miranda gazed up at Ed longingly, "Oh, I certainly hope so," she said, stepping closer.  
  
Ed, realizing Miranda's advances, took a step back towards his desk. "Oh. Ah. Miranda. I really don't think that's a good idea."  
  
"Oh, I think it is." Miranda said taking another step closer. Ed felt her breath against his face.  
  
Ed was desperately trying to figure out how to extricate himself from his current situation, when the door to his office opened and Deloris walked in carrying some files, "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realize that anyone was in here. I was just ... I just wanted to leave these on your desk, Ed."  
  
When Miranda turned to look at Deloris, Ed mouthed "THANK YOU" to his secretary. But Deloris ignored him. He was about to scoot around Miranda and escape out the door, when Miranda moved to block his path, almost as if she had sensed his move. Deloris walked over to Ed's desk and laid something on it by the telephone. She then walked back to the door and back out to the party.  
  
'Of all the times for her not to start playing her games, THIS was not it!' Ed thought.  
  
Miranda turned back around and moved towards Ed again, "Where were we before we were interrupted. Oh, yes ..."  
  
"Miranda. This isn't going to work."  
  
Miranda stopped, startled, and said, "What isn't going to work?"  
  
"Us," Ed said authoritatively.  
  
"But you haven't given 'us' a try," Miranda said in a husky tone, and again moved in towards Ed. She reached up to put her arms around his neck, but Ed caught them and pulled them down to her side.  
  
"Enough," Ed said, "I'm not interested, Miranda. Not interested in you."  
  
Miranda's face froze, a look of shock on her face. "What do you mean, you're not interested in me?"  
  
"There is no 'us' Miranda. There never was and there never will be. Our relationship is strictly professional."  
  
Miranda smiled coyly, "You've got to be kidding me."  
  
"Do I look like I'm kidding you."  
  
"If this is about Liz and the divorce ..." Miranda tried to appear comforting.  
  
"This has nothing to do with Liz or the divorce. I'm just not interested in you. I'm in ... I'm in love with someone else."  
  
"It can't be that blonde school marm from Ohio..." Miranda spat back.  
  
"As a matter of fact, it is."  
  
"Ed. Be serious.", Miranda said seductively and moved in again for a kiss.  
  
Ed just stood his ground, impassionately. "I am serious Miranda. I'm in love with Carol."  
  
"She's not here."  
  
"She doesn't have to be."  
  
"You're serious," Miranda stared at him incredulously. "You're *actually* serious! You'd chose Pom-Pom Barbie over me?!! I can't believe it."  
  
"Believe it. I. love. Carol."  
  
"After all I've done for you...." Miranda started to say, but Ed interrupted her.  
  
"If you have a problem with the fact the you are paid - and paid quite well - for your work at the firm, then I suggest you take it up with one of the managing partners!"  
  
"That's not what I was talking about! I was talking about what I did for you."  
  
"I don't understand what you're talking about - unless you're referring to the research you did for Carol on Knight Publishing?"  
  
"Carol!?" Miranda said the name like a curse. "I didn't do it for that country bumpkin, I did it for you! Because YOU asked me to!"  
  
"Miranda if you thought that helping Carol would get you a promotion or something, I'm sorry but I..."  
  
"Don't you dare lecture me about selfish reasons, MISTER Stevens," Miranda snarled with sarcasm. "I'm sure your were just mister altruism in your aid for poor country waif Carol Vessey."  
  
"The subject of my relationship with Carol Vessey is closed, Miranda," Ed said calmly but with such intensity that Miranda blanched.  
  
She recovered enough to say, "Yes, I'm sure it is!"  
  
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Ed was certain that only he, Deloris, and Jerry knew anything about Carol's decision to leave suddenly, and given the sensitivity of the situation, he knew that neither would have spoken about it to anyone.  
  
"Someone had to save you."  
  
"Save me? From what?"  
  
"From yourself, from that little blond sl--" She stopped herself, then added "You just didn't see how much of a threat she was to you, Ed," in a slightly more pleading tone.  
  
Ed just stared at her intently.  
  
"She was a distraction," Miranda said. "You weren't focused any longer. Leaving work early. Not paying attention. All she wanted to do was take you back to Stuckeyville. To be with her. She didn't care about your career or your future. She just wanted you. And you were too lost in some high school crush to notice it."  
  
Ed started to piece together some things. Carol's reaction on Sunday as they left the office. Carol's reaction to the phone call from Miranda on Monday night. It all fit. Despite his anger, Ed asked calmly, "And you spoke to her about it, didn't you? When?"  
  
"Yes, I did," Miranda said. "Someone needed to. You were about to throw away the last seven years of your life on a crush, that you should have gotten over years ago. So I talked to her yesterday. Before we left for Albany. I ran into her downstairs and I explained, among other things, how it would be better for everyone if she just went back to that little hick town in Ohio and forgot all about you. And you know what? She did. She didn't even fight. She took off crying. Is that the kind of woman you want - the kind who runs away at the first sign of trouble? Is it?"  
  
"You said 'things', Miranda. What else did you explain to Carol?"  
  
"I told her that you and I ..." she looked at Ed suggestively. He understood exactly what she meant.  
  
"You LIED?!! It's not enough that you had to twist the truth to hurt her ..."  
  
"Awww. Didn't she tell you?" Miranda said poutingly.  
  
"Miranda, you've crossed the line."  
  
"Oh please. Spare me the hypocrisy. We're LAWYERS, Ed. We lie all the time. We do whatever it takes to win for our client. You've got the edge. The fire. You're only problem is that you're too naive. This is the real world, Ed. People use each other all the time. Do you really think Carol loves you just for you? Or is it that she loves you because you've got money and influence?"  
  
"Carol isn't you, Miranda," Ed said coldly.  
  
"No, she's just some stupid ...."  
  
Ed stopped her, "Carol Vessey is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I may have given my brain to this firm and it's been good - very good - to me. But Carol ... she's my heart ... my soul! If I had to choose between the two of them, it wouldn't even be close. I would sacrifice *everything* for her."  
  
Ed stopped, a curious expression on his face. He took another deep breath, his face clearing. When he spoke, he sounded like his old self. He looked at Miranda, pity in his eyes, his anger gone, and said, "Thank you, Miranda."  
  
"What?" Miranda asked in shock at sudden change in Ed. "What for?"  
  
"Because," Ed said with a sigh, "you made me realize what I need to do. What I should have done the minute I read Carol's note. No more waiting. I'm leaving for Stuckeyville tonight. Right now. The Henderson account doesn't need me. Jerry knows everything I do about the merger, he can handle the signing tomorrow. I'm leaving."  
  
With that Ed walked past Miranda, still standing there in shock, and opened the door to his office. Miranda finally moved, lurching to stop Ed, but he pushed past her and walked out of his office, Miranda close on his heels. As he got to the hallway, he stopped so suddenly that Miranda ran into his back.  
  
Ed looked around in shock. The entire party was quiet. There was a mixture of expressions on the various staff members' faces. More than a few women had tears in their eyes. A few of the men did too. Others had smiles on their faces. A few just looked shocked.  
  
No one spoke for a few moments. Finally, Deloris slipped through the crowd of people and stopped by Ed and Miranda. With a mischievous look in her eye, she said, "Oh dear, I seem to have *accidentally* (she winks at Ed) hit the intercom button on your phone when I was in there a little while ago. I had better go turn that off." She pushed past Miranda who paled and started to shake.  
  
Everyone could hear when Deloris turned off the intercom. She walked out of Ed's office a moment later. She had his coat over her left arm and his briefcase in her right hand. She walked up to Ed, put the briefcase down and helped him on with his coat. She then picked up the briefcase and handed it to him and said, "I'll call you a cab."  
  
Ed looked around. Robert Farmer and Roy Sheehan walked over to Ed. Farmer put his hand on Ed's shoulder and said, "Go get her, boy!" as Sheehan nodded and said, "We STILL want to talk to you - but we do NOT expect to see you until after the holidays!"  
  
Ed looked around one more time. More people were smiling and several were giving him a "thumbs up". He saw Jerry and looked at him for a moment. Jerry just smiled, and briefly tapped his nose with his right index finger. Deloris started making shooing motions. Ed smiled, grabbed Deloris, and hugged ... well he hugged the stuffing out of her. Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek, and whispered "I'm glad you're on *my* side."  
  
Deloris blushed.  
  
As he turned to go, Ed heard Roy Sheehan say, "Van Note! You may think that lying to your co-workers and manipulating people is the way to practice law, but that's not how we do things at *this* firm. Clean out your desk. You're fired. Effective immediately!" at the same time, Robert Farmer said, "Pender! We need to talk!"  
  
Ed dashed for the door and the elevators to a smattering of applause.  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Carol Vessey  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
9:00 PM  
  
Mike walked into the house with the two requested half-gallons of ice- cream. He looked at the three women, "What'd I miss!?"  
  
"Come on, Carol," Molly said as she handed her the cell phone, "Its obvious you and Ed belong together. You need to call him and straighten this mess out... before it's too late."  
  
"I agree with Molly. You should call Ed," Mike said, as he spooned the ice cream into four serving bowls.  
  
All three women looked at Mike in surprise. "What? I *can* be sensitive you know," he said.  
  
Carol shook her head, touched by Molly's suggestion, but not believing it was the right thing to do. "No, Molls," she said. "I can't do this. Ed belongs in New York and I belong in Stuckeyville."  
  
"How can you be sure?" Molly said. "Have you tried?"  
  
"She's got a point, Carol," Nancy said. "You and Eddie were just starting to fall in love (a look from Carol) Alright maybe you're already in love with Ed, but you've only known him five days and you expect us to believe that you know what's best for him?"  
  
"That's just it," Carol said emphatically. "It was only five days, but I feel like I've known him my entire life. And I think that this *is* the best thing for him."  
  
"Carol, sweetie," Molly began, "we know how you feel about Ed. That was obvious from the way you talked about him. But how does he feel about you. Does he love you, too?"  
  
"I don't know, Molls," Carol said. "I'm torn. I think he might care for me, but there's that Miranda woman."  
  
"Whoa!" Mike said. "Let's just hold it right there!"  
  
The three women looked at Mike, who continued, "Although a man must never betray the confidence of his best friend, I can tell you with absolute certainty that Ed has had nothing to do with that Van Note woman."  
  
Mike replied to the three sets of raised eyebrows, "Ed would have told me. And he didn't, which tells me he *didn't*, if you know what I mean. Besides, every time he has mentioned her to me, it wasn't, well, exactly flattering. No, you can throw the idea of Ed sleeping with Miranda Van Note out the window."  
  
"Well," Carol said, feeling better after Mike's comment, "I saw the way she looked at him. It's obvious that she's attracted to him. That she wants to ... (ahem) It's the way *I* look at him."  
  
That raised some eyebrows.  
  
"But even without Miranda," Carol said, "I still don't know if Ed loves me or not."  
  
"Oh, come on," Nancy said, "Eddie's always been in love with you."  
  
Carol looked at Nancy stunned. Molly and Mike looked at Nancy in shock. None of them had intended to tell Carol about Ed's high school crush. Nancy looked like she was going to be sick.  
  
"What..." Carol said, "what do you mean?"  
  
"I think what she meant to say was, 'Why wouldn't Ed be in love with you?'" Molly said, attempting some damage control.  
  
"No! I'm the English teacher here. I think that she said exactly what she meant to say, even if she didn't mean to say it!" She glared at Nancy and said, "Come on, out with it."  
  
Nancy looked at Mike for support. Mike shrugged, then sighed. He said, "Ed had a crush on you in high school."  
  
"A big crush!" Molly added, then glanced down at her shoes when she realized she may have over emphasized the point.  
  
"And you knew about this? All of you?!!!" Carol asked.  
  
Nancy put her hand on Carol's arm and said, "Carol, everyone in high school knew it, except for you. Even some of the teachers knew."  
  
Carol shook her head and said, "Well then, that proves I was right to come home."  
  
"How do you figure that, Carol," Molly asked.  
  
"Whatever interest Ed was showing in me was just him fulfilling some school boy's fantasy," Carol said. "Once he realized I wasn't the woman he probably thought I was - that I wasn't good enough for him - it would have been over. And it would have ended badly, just like all of my other relationships."  
  
Neither Molly, Nancy, nor Mike knew how to respond to Carol's comment. The comment implied a great deal of self doubt on Carol's part, as well as love for Ed.  
  
Finally, Molly said, "But you still don't *know* if he loves you or not, do you? Truly loves you - like you love him."  
  
"No, I don't," Carol said. "I ... I never gave him the chance to tell me."  
  
Molly stood up exasperated. She walked into the living room and picked up the gift wrapped package from Ed. "No, you didn't. But when a guy buys something expensive like this for a girl that he's only just met ... How much did this thing cost, anyway?"  
  
"Two hundred dollars," Carol said in a small voice, then added. "It's a collector's item."  
  
Mike whistled.  
  
"Two hundred dollars!" Molly exclaimed. "Wow."  
  
"Open it, Carol" Nancy exclaimed.  
  
"It's not Christmas, yet," Carol explained. "I promised Ed I wouldn't open it till Christmas."  
  
Molly looked at Carol, it was clear she was becoming frustrated, "You said you're never going to see him again, right? So it *really* doesn't matter if you open it now or not, does it?"  
  
"I... I guess you're right," Carol said and took the package from Molly. She carefully tore off the wrapping paper - to reveal the Barbie doll box. The doll inside was dressed in a beautiful wedding gown. It was beautiful. Carol started to cry and quickly handed the box to Molly, "I... I can't look at it. Not now."  
  
Molly looked at her friend, "I'm sorry, Carol. I didn't mean to ..." She handed the box to Mike, who started examining the box, even shaking it.  
  
"I knew Barbies were expensive but I didn't think they came with jewelry?"  
  
Nancy looked at her husband, "Of course they come with little jewelry -- at least some of them do. Others come with little tennis rackets. It depends on the doll."  
  
"Little jewelry? Uh, that's not what's in here," Mike corrected.  
  
Carol looked confused, "I don't know ..."  
  
"Well, open it," Nancy grabbed the box away from Mike and handed it back to Carol.  
  
Carol picked up the Barbie doll box and opened the top. Inside was a small jewelry box with a small note taped to the side. Carol drew the box out. She looked at the others around the table.  
  
Molly made little 'hurry up' motions with her hands. Nancy kept saying "Oh my gawd!" over and over.  
  
Gingerly, Carol opened the box. There were tears in her eyes as she looked inside. Her hands started shaking. The others still couldn't see what was in the box, but then Carol turned it around to show them. Inside was the heart shaped pendant that Carol had told them that she and Ed had seen on their shopping trip.  
  
Molly and Nancy gasped.  
  
"What does the note say?" Mike asked Carol.  
  
"Oh yes, the note," Carol said, choking back tears:  
  
'To Carol. Love, Ed'  
  
Mike just smiled, and said, "That romantic bastard!"  
  
***  
  
New York City - John F. Kennedy International Airport  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
10:00 PM  
  
Ed was at yet another airline counter trying to find a flight out to anywhere close to Stuckeyville that night. This was the fifth airline he had tried. Because of the Christmas season, all the airlines were booked solid. All the counter attendants could do was to put him on stand-by that night. He could get a definite flight in the morning - a 7:00 AM flight to Cleveland. But he wanted to get to Stuckeyville tonight, dammit!  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Carol Vessey  
  
December 20, 2000  
  
10:00 PM  
  
Carol had just gotten off the phone. It had been frustrating. She had wanted to get a flight to New York tonight. But the airlines had said that because of the holidays all of that night's flights to New York were booked solid. She had reluctantly booked a seat on the first flight out in the morning. An 8:00 AM flight.  
  
From across the room, Molly smiled encouragingly at her. 


	15. Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
  
Stuckeyville - the home of Carol Vessey  
  
December 21, 2000  
  
6:30 AM  
  
Carol Vessey finished her make-up and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She sighed ... disapprovingly.  
  
"I must be insane," she said.  
  
She'd showered and dressed hours earlier. She'd even packed her suitcase and taken it downstairs. She'd told herself it was because she didn't want to miss her flight to New York. But, it was really because she was too nervous to sleep. There where so many unknowns in what she was about to do - running back to New York to find Ed and tell him that she loved him. And she was scared.  
  
She noticed her hand was trembling as she packed the last of her cosmetics back into the make-up case.  
  
She was risking so much, she'd told herself. What if he doesn't love the real her? What if his feelings for her were just the remnants of an adolescent schoolboy's crush? Or worse! What if his feelings for her *were* real and her running back home a day early and without an explanation ruined any chance she might have had with him? What if Miranda took the opportunity to ...  
  
NO! She wasn't going to think about *that* woman and Ed. Yes, she knew that Miranda was attracted to Ed - and why shouldn't she be? Ed was cute, funny and adorable. But, Mike was sure that Ed didn't have feelings for Miranda. She had to trust that. The pain of Ed never having feelings for the real her was bad enough. Learning that she'd squandered her chance to be with him because she was too terrified, that was... That was unbearable!  
  
Of course, she could have just called Ed and told him all this on the phone. She must have picked up the phone a dozen times last night. But something kept stopping her. Maybe it was her fear. If Ed was going to tell her that it was over between them, she didn't want to hear it so soon. She wanted to keep hoping that she hadn't hurt him by running away - that she hadn't ruined her chance to be with him.  
  
No, she had to tell him how she felt about him in person. She couldn't do it over the phone. That was just too 'practical', too 'safe'. And Carol Vessey was tired of being 'practical' and playing it 'safe'. All that had gotten her was relationships with guys like Nick and Troy. Safe, practical relationships where she risked nothing and thus from which she got NOTHING.  
  
This was different. ED was different. She loved him. It wasn't like Nick. She didn't have to convince herself that she loved him - she KNEW it. She felt it, in every ounce of her being. When she was with him. When he held her. It was like magic. No, it wasn't LIKE magic.  
  
It *was* magic.  
  
She closed her make-up case and started walking back towards her bedroom. The house was so quiet and peaceful. It had snowed all that night - which had caused Carol some concern that her flight would be cancelled. But a call to the airport at 5:00 am had confirmed that the weather was not going to be a problem. She was about midway down the hall when she heard something.  
  
[thunk!]  
  
She stopped and listened for a moment. When she didn't hear it again, she decided that her insanity over Ed had reached the point where she was starting to hear things. That is, until she heard it again.  
  
[thunk!]  
  
Carol stopped in the hallway. She wasn't imagining the noise. She looked around and tried to figure out where the sound was coming from. She stood still for a moment, just listening.  
  
[*thunk*!]  
  
It sounded louder. Like it was coming from her bedroom. She walked down the hallway and stood in her bedroom doorway.  
  
[*Thunk*!]  
  
'Definitely louder and more towards this side of the room,' Carol thought.  
  
[**Thunk**!]  
  
'The window?!' she thought.  
  
She walked over to the window and parted the curtains. As she did, something struck the window with a loud 'THUNK!!' Startled, she jumped back, almost tipping over backwards. But, she caught herself and looked out the window, just in time to see something round and yellowish sail towards the window and land on roof of her porch.  
  
'Waffles?!' The roof of her front porch was littered with frozen breakfast waffles. There must have been about fifty or sixty of them.  
  
'Who would ...?', she started to ask, then looked down and saw HIM, standing there in the snow.  
  
He was just about to throw another waffle at her window.  
  
"ED!!" Carol tried to open her window, but because it was so cold it was frozen shut. She quickly gave up and raced out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She threw open the door and tore down the walkway, falling into his arms. Ed caught her slim form easily.  
  
Carol just held onto him for awhile, absorbing the feel of his body close to hers. After a few moments, she pulled away and looked at him. He was in jeans and a sweatshirt - and he had never looked better to her eyes. She laughed as she realized that there were quite a lot of waffles by his feet.  
  
Ed followed her eyes and chuckled. He said, "Yeah, I suspect there's going to be a mysterious shortage of waffles in Stuckeyville this Christmas!"  
  
Carol laughed and hugged him tightly again. She looked up into his blue eyes, letting herself fall into them all over again. Ed continued to smile.  
  
"Ed..." she said dreamily.  
  
"Yes?" Ed replied, still smiling.  
  
"Pinch me," Carol couldn't imagine a more perfect moment than this. HE was here. She was in HIS arms. She had to be sure it wasn't all an illusion.  
  
"You want me to pinch you?"  
  
"Yes, so I know that I'm not dreaming."  
  
Ed smiled wickedly, "If you insist ..." and then pinched her behind.  
  
Carol's eyes flew open as she let out a yelp and jumped back from Ed. "ED! I didn't mean THERE!"  
  
"You asked me to pinch you. You did not specify where you wanted to be pinched..." Ed defended, his voice all sweetness and innocence.  
  
"Well... Yes I know I did ... technically! But why did you have to pinch me THERE?" Carol tried to sound angry.  
  
"It was the first place that came to mind..." Ed said, as he pulled her in close for a kiss, but Carol stopped him.  
  
"Ed...?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
"About me pinching you 'there'? Look Carol, I'm sorry I was just ..."  
  
"No that's not it. I think we need to talk ..."  
  
"To talk?"  
  
"About ... us."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Come inside?" Carol asked, her eyes filled with more than a little hope. Ed just smiled and put his arm around here and let her lead him up the porch steps and into the house. She closed the door behind them. Ed took his coat off. Carol took it and threw it over a chair. Then she motioned for Ed to take a seat on the couch.  
  
"Ed, about the letter...?  
  
"The letter you left on my desk. The letter in which you said it would be best if I didn't follow you ... that it wouldn't work out between us."  
  
"Yes, *that* letter."  
  
"Never read it."  
  
"What do you mean you never read it...? Of course you read it. How do you know what the letter I left said if you didn't read it?"  
  
"Because I didn't believe that *YOU* wrote it. Oh sure it was signed by someone named 'Carol'. But that wasn't you. Not the real you."  
  
"I don't understand ..." Carol said, but in truth she did understand. She wasn't herself when she wrote that letter. No, that was a lie. She was being herself when she wrote that stupid letter. It was just another example of her 'playing it safe'.  
  
Carol began pacing, "No, Ed. You're wrong. That was me. The REAL me. I'm not the girl you think I am. I'm not the girl you fell in love with in high school."  
  
"The girl I fell in love with in high school? How did ... Who?"  
  
Carol stopped, "Nancy told me." Then began pacing again.  
  
"Oh. Okay."  
  
"Ed, didn't you hear me? I said I'm not the girl you fell in love with high school."  
  
Ed started to say something but Carol interrupted him, "Every relationship I have ever had has ended ... BADLY. That's why I ran away. I didn't want you to give up your career for me. I didn't think I was good enough for you."  
  
"Can I ...?" Ed began.  
  
"And do you know why that is? Because I always play it safe. Because I'm afraid to risk getting my heart broken. Because I ..."  
  
"CAROL!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Can I ask a question?"  
  
"What? Oh. Yes."  
  
"I know that you're not the girl I had a crush on in high school, that's not important. I need to know something else."  
  
Carol bit her lower lip in hesitation, "And that is...?"  
  
"Are you the girl I taught to ice skate at Rockefeller Center?"  
  
"Yes," Carol said, her voice still full of hesitation and uncertainty.  
  
"Are you the girl who ate chocolate chip cookies and drank hot chocolate with me in New York?"  
  
"Yes," Carol said, a little less hesitantly.  
  
"Were you the girl with the runny mascara who opened the door to her hotel room? Were you the girl who panicked on the observation deck of the Empire State Building?"  
  
"Yes. Yes," Carol said, realizing what Ed was trying to tell her and starting to cry.  
  
Ed looked deeply into Carol's eyes. He seemed to be on the verge of tears himself. "I have only one last question. Were you the girl who looked at the pendant in Macy's department store and cried because it was just like the one your mother once had?"  
  
Carol matched Ed's gaze. Then she reached up and slowly withdrew the pendant on its chain from inside her sweater and let it rest on her chest.  
  
"Yes," she whispered.  
  
"Good," Ed replied. He stepped in closer and lifted her chin with his hand so that he could look down into her eyes and whispered, "because *THAT'S* the girl I fell in love with." Then he kissed her gently.  
  
***  
  
They were kissing for quite a while when a sudden thought struck Carol. She broke away, looked at Ed and asked, "How did you get to Stuckeyville? When I called the airlines last night, they said all of the flights into and OUT OF New York City were booked solid!"  
  
Ed grinned sheepishly and said, "I called in a favor."  
  
"A favor?" Carol asked.  
  
Ed nodded and said. "You know that big deal I was working on?"  
  
"Yeah," Carol said. "Henderson, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yep," Ed said and nodded again. "Well, I, uh, called Mr. Henderson up. He told me the other day that if I needed anything - anything at all - to call him. Well, I did and he had me flown out here on the corporate jet."  
  
"You're kidding?!" Carol asked shocked. Ed grinned hugely and nodded. "He just let you borrow a plane?"  
  
"Didn't bat an eye, just told me where to go and said he'd make a call. And anyway," Ed said, "it wasn't like I flew it myself.although I did ask if I could take the controls. The pilot didn't seem to think it was funny."  
  
Carol chuckled, then said, "What.what exactly did you tell Mr. Henderson?"  
  
"Oh, nothing much," Ed said then grinned, "just that I needed to get back to Stuckeyville last night.to get the love of my life."  
  
"The love of your life?" Carol asked quietly. Ed just looked into her eyes and she could see that he meant it.  
  
There wasn't much Carol could say to that, so she just leaned in and kissed Ed again.  
  
Their kiss was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Ed and Carol could hear voices on the porch. As they went to open the door, they clearly heard Mike say, "What's up with all these waffles?"  
  
They both laughed as Ed opened the door to the surprised faces of his friends.  
  
***  
  
Stuckeyville - StuckeyBowl  
  
April 20, 2001  
  
12:00 PM  
  
Carol walked from her car towards StuckeyBowl, a picnic basket held in one hand. She passed a group of five women in the parking lot who had apparently just finished bowling and were chatting before they got into their cars and left.  
  
She noted with amusement that the local teenagers had stolen - again! - the 'T' from the StuckeyBowl sign, leaving it to read 'SuckeyBowl.' She chuckled slightly. She knew that on some level, Ed himself found it humorous, but as the new owner of StuckeyBowl was becoming increasingly frustrated by the repeated thefts.  
  
She walked inside and took a look around. Ed hadn't changed the inside much, just fixed it up a little. She looked over at his office - converted from the pro shop into his new law office. Several groups were bowling on the lanes, Shirley was at the lunch counter, and Phil and Kenny were at the shoe counter.  
  
She walked towards the shoe counter. Phil was spraying the rental shoes when Carol walked up. She only heard the last bit of his conversation with Kenny, "I can't believe Bosco just shot down my idea."  
  
"It was a good idea," Kenny offered.  
  
When Phil noticed Carol, his face lit up. "Maybe blondie here can help us."  
  
"Help you with what?" Carol asked - then immediately regretted it.  
  
"Ed asked us for suggestions on how we can get more people to come to the bowling alley..."  
  
"Oh," Carol said.  
  
"And I said we should bring in some whores. And before you say anything, I'm not suggesting anything sleazy. I'm talking about nice, friendly, singing kind of whores. Like in that Dolly Parton movie ... Wholesome, Disney-looking whores. Now doesn't that sound like fun for the whole family?"  
  
Carol blanched, "Uh... I'm not so sure that's a good idea."  
  
"I think he may have something there. If there were two bowling alleys, exactly alike, but one of them had wall-to-wall whores, I'd patronize the one with the whores," Kenny offered.  
  
"Thanks man," Phil replied.  
  
Carol just rolled her eyes. She knew that Ed would never go along with that kind of suggestion and shook her head. "What is it exactly that you want me to do?"  
  
Phil looked at her, "Well since you're his girlfriend, I was wondering if you could use your feminine wiles to convince Ed that it's a good idea."  
  
"My 'feminine wiles'?"  
  
"Yeah, you know ... your charms." He raised his eyebrows several times suggestively.  
  
Carol was momentarily taken aback, but then relaxed. She had had enough dealings with Phil by this point to realize that he was harmless - incredibly annoying at times - but harmless.  
  
"I'll see what I can do," Carol feigned. "Is Ed around?"  
  
"Actually, I haven't seen Bosco in awhile," Phil replied.  
  
"Are you sure he's still here? Maybe he changed his mind about your idea and is interviewing whores," Kenny suggested.  
  
"That was going to be my job!" Phil protested.  
  
"Well, no," Carol said, "but it is a big place. And his Explorer is out front."  
  
Phil breathed a sigh of relief, and then said "Well, you're his old ball and chain - don't you have some secret way of locating him?"  
  
"Secret way of locating him?"  
  
"Yeah, like some kind of girlfriend-radar?"  
  
Carol looked over at Kenny for help, but he didn't seem interested in correcting Phil. "Phil there's no such thing as girlfriend radar."  
  
"Oh..." He winked at Carol, "RIIIIGHT. Absolutely. Can't let that secret out can we."  
  
"Uh, sure." Carol said, "Look I need to find Ed. Thanks anyway, I think." Then walked over to Shirley at the lunch counter.  
  
"Don't forget to mention the whores!" Phil called out as she walked away.  
  
Carol sighed, "Hey, Shirley. Have you seen Ed?"  
  
Shirley stopped in the process of cleaning the counter, looked startled and then noticed Carol. "Hello, Ms. Vessey," she said.  
  
"Shirley," Carol said, "it's Carol. Just Carol."  
  
"Okay," Shirley said. "So what may I do for you Carol-just-Carol?"  
  
Carol opened her mouth about to correct Shirley, but decided she didn't have that much time. Instead, she repeated her question, "Do you have any idea where Ed is?"  
  
Shirley cocked her head to one side and said, "I think he said something about climbing to new heights in his career."  
  
"Climbing to new heights?" Carol asked surprised.  
  
"Yes," Shirley said. "He was walking around muttering something about tea. I thought he was much more of a coffee drinker, myself. He certainly seems to be more of like a coffee drinker. I've even committed his preference to memory - 'Coffee with five sugars'. This is very important as one of the goals I have set for myself as Ed's legal assistant is to make sure that when he is drinking coffee, and he finishes his coffee, his cup is refilled with more coffee. Now I guess I will have to order tea."  
  
Carol sort of stood there, trying to understand Shirley's rather tortured train of thought when she figured out where Ed was.  
  
***  
  
Ed was on the roof of StuckeyBowl, installing a new 'T'. As he tightened another bolt, he chuckled in amazement at the thought that he owned StuckeyBowl!  
  
Behind him, the quintet of women in the parking lot were watching him work, a fact that Ed was not aware of. He was dressed in jeans and a white cotton undershirt. He had left his shirt, a blue short-sleeve shirt with the number 18 on the left breast, inside while he worked in the warm spring day. The woman were giggling and chatting.  
  
"I hear he's the new owner," one woman said.  
  
"Who cares, he's cute!" a second woman said.  
  
"I heard he's also a lawyer," another woman said.  
  
"Who cares, he's cute!" the second woman said.  
  
"I heard he's divorced," a fourth woman said.  
  
"Who cares, he's cute!" the second woman said.  
  
"Well, I heard he just moved back here from New York City," the fifth woman said.  
  
There was a pause, and they all said, "Who cares, he's cute!" and started giggling.  
  
"Sorry, girls! He's taken!" Carol said as she walked by them.  
  
The five women watched as Carol walked closer to where Ed was working and called out, "My, that's a very large... 'T' you've got there, big fella!"  
  
Ed turned around and grinned at Carol. One of the five women waved at Ed. Seeing her wave, he waved back. Carol mock glared at him, wagged her finger at him and said, "Ah, ah!" She smiled to show she wasn't really worried.  
  
Ed walked over to the edge of the roof and squatted, "Hey Carol!" He smiled, "What's up?"  
  
"Well," Carol said and raised the picnic basket, "How would you like to have lunch with the most beautiful teacher at Stuckeyville High School?"  
  
Ed smiled slyly "Sounds great. I'll get dressed, we can call Molly and ..."  
  
"Ed! I meant *me*!" She glared at him in fake anger.  
  
"You? Oh you're much too young and attractive to be a teacher in high school. Nope. Sorry." He extended his leg, "Pull the other one, missy!"  
  
Carol laughed and said, "Ed! I'm serious. How about a nice lunch at the duck pond. I've got the food if you can provide the blanket."  
  
"You're on!" Ed said, smiling. "Just give me a minute!" He collected his tools and climbed off the roof. He went inside and stored his tools, while Carol waited outside. The women were standing around, obviously trying to get another glimpse of Ed. 'Smile all you want girls, he's still all MINE!' Carol thought.  
  
Inside, Ed grabbed his shirt and slipped it back on after cleaning his hands. He checked himself really quick in the mirror and, finding himself presentable, headed towards the door.  
  
He looked around and then called, "Phil! Get your keister out here!"  
  
Phil popped up from the main counter, startling Ed, and said, "How may my ass be of service, Bosco?"  
  
"I'm going to lunch with Carol," Ed said. "I will be back later, don't blow up the place."  
  
Ed was almost out the door when he stopped. He looked thoughtful for a moment and then ran back into his office. He rummaged through his backpack - 'I'm so glad I got rid of that blasted briefcase!' Ed thought.  
  
He smiled as he walked out of StuckeyBowl and over to drape his arm around Carol's shoulders. He directed them over to his Explorer, where he pulled a blanket out of the back. "I keep this here for picnic-related emergencies" he explained to Carol.  
  
"Always prepared, huh?" Carol asked.  
  
"Ms. Vessey you have no idea," Ed replied, smiling.  
  
As Ed and Carol strolled to the duck pond, holding hands and smiling at one another, they passed the five women. Carol heard the women (mostly the second women) sigh loudly, finally acknowledging Carol's claim on the hot new prospect in town. As they walked she noted that Ed never once looked at the other women, his eyes were fixed on her.  
  
She sighed and thought, 'We've been together for almost four months, and we still act like a couple of high school kids on their first date. Well, except in certain circumstances.' She flushed.  
  
Once at the duck pond, Ed quickly laid out the blanket and they sat down to enjoy their lunch. Carol unpacked the fried chicken, potato salad, and a small vegetable crudités. Ed pulled out the plates and utensils and a small bottle of wine and some wine glasses.  
  
They each piled a plate with food and sat eating, talking and looking at one another with great affection.  
  
Ed said, "I can't believe that I actually own StuckeyBowl! And I have my own practice!"  
  
"Hah," Carol said. "You're now the world's first bowling alley lawyer!"  
  
"I'm a lawyer, and I own a bowling alley." Ed said. "Two separate things."  
  
Carol laughed and said, "You keep telling people that."  
  
While they ate, Ed thought back over the last several months. The time he had spent with Carol over the holidays had been incredible! He was so much in love with her and he loved being with her. Carol had gotten her inspiration to write back - she said she now knew what gave that inspiration, or rather *who* gave her that inspiration.  
  
He remembered spending Christmas morning at Carol's. She had handed him a manila envelope. He had looked at her curiously but opened the envelope. Inside was a document, bound - a clear plastic cover and a GBC binder from the Kinko's on Sherman - and entitled, 'A Murderous Affair' by Carol P. Vessey. Ed had grinned from ear to ear and promised to read it that day. "To the exclusion of everything else," he'd said. When Carol raised an eyebrow, he smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, not *everything* else!"  
  
Carol had included a dedication that made Ed's eyes tear up:  
  
'To Ed -'  
  
'The man who was inspired me to live and to love. We have love, everything else will follow.'  
  
'Love, Carol'  
  
He remembered his lunch meeting with Robert Farmer and Roy Sheehan. The managing partners HAD offered him a partnership in the firm. Despite the rumors he had heard, Ed was still surprised. Farmer and Sheehan had said that after all the exemplary work he'd done, he had earned it.  
  
Ed had told them that he honestly needed to think about it. At the time he was not sure what he wanted to do. He really loved Carol and wanted to be with her and it was clear that Stuckeyville was where she belonged. Ed found that he also enjoyed being back in Stuckeyville with his best friend, Mike, as well as Nancy and Molly. They were a great group of friends.  
  
So for a few weeks he had commuted back and forth to New York City. During the weeks he had stayed at his apartment in New York and on the weekends he had stayed with Carol. He had helped Molly out with her grandfather's estate on the weekends. Now he rented her grandfather's house from her.  
  
Finally, on Valentine's Day, Ed made his decision. He had spoken to Farmer and Sheehan the next day and explained to them that he was resigning. He would give them the rest of the month to transfer any existing accounts to other lawyers at the firm or to complete the ones he reasonably could. The managing partners were disappointed of course, and they even made a half- hearted attempt to talk him out of it, but they didn't get where they were by not being able to read the writing on the wall - they both remembered Ed's speech to Miranda at Christmas and had assumed it was just a matter of time.  
  
Ed smiled, remembering how his former bosses had insisted that it not be a complete break. Ed's blossoming law practice in Stuckeyville was helped along by his association with Farmer & Sheehan and some work that he did for them under contract. The money had certainly come in handy when he bought StuckeyBowl.  
  
Ed had tried to help out Big Rudy with StuckeyBowl, but in the end the only way to save it from becoming the Stuckeyville Roller Disco was to buy it. Carol had at first balked at the idea. But she had seen how much Ed loved the place and how much he actually enjoyed renovating it, and had withdrawn any objections (using some of Ed's legal jargon on him).  
  
Ed had helped Carol line up a new publishing agent. It had turned out that Mr. Henderson's wife was a writer and had talked to her publishing agent after Ed had spoken with Henderson. Carol's book - A Murderous Affair - was in the final stages of being published!  
  
Ed remembered the look of relief on Carol's face that she hadn't signed the contract with Knight Publishing when Ed had outlined their plan. Ed smiled, remembering the article in the paper the other day about an investigation into Knight Publishing's contract practices. A couple of other authors that had almost signed with Knight were spreading the word and it looked like Knight Publishing was in for some unwelcome attention.  
  
Since Ed had returned to Stuckeyville, he had divided his time between his new law practice, getting StuckeyBowl back in shape, and spending every possible moment with Carol.  
  
Carol noted the far away look in Ed's eyes and asked quietly, "What's on your mind?"  
  
Ed started, embarrassed at his wool gathering, and said, "Oh, just reminiscing."  
  
Carol still felt uncertain at times, afraid that Ed might not be as happy here in Stuckeyville as he let on and said, "About New York?"  
  
"What?" Ed asked in surprise. "No. Well, not exactly. I was just remembering the last few months - since you and I met." Ed smiled to emphasize his point.  
  
Carol relaxed and said, "Nice thoughts, I hope."  
  
"The best," Ed said and looked at her in that special way that always drove all doubts from her mind, not to mention sent her heart racing.  
  
"Quite a warm day it turned out to be," Carol said, fanning herself. Ed just grinned.  
  
"So," Carol said, "how's work - the law side of things?"  
  
"Good," Ed said. "I met the new assistant District Attorney the other day."  
  
"Oh," Carol said, "what's he like?"  
  
"He's a she, actually," Ed said matter-of-factly.  
  
"What?" Carol said, surprised.  
  
"The new ADA is a woman," Ed said tentatively. "Bonnie Hane."  
  
"Okay, Ed," Carol said. "I know that tone of voice. What is it?"  
  
"Nothing," Ed said, holding up his hands.  
  
"Its not nothing, Ed," Carol said and just looked at him.  
  
Ed sighed and said, "She asked me out for a drink."  
  
"Asked you out for drink?" Carol repeated.  
  
"Yes," Ed said.  
  
"And.??" Carol prompted.  
  
"And I told her that I couldn't," Ed said.  
  
"See," Carol said with a smile, "that wasn't so bad was it?"  
  
Ed continued, almost as if he hadn't heard her, "But she misunderstood me and thought that I meant that I couldn't THAT night. So she asked me if I wanted to go out tonight."  
  
Carol eyebrows rose and she prompted again, "And.??"  
  
"And," Ed said, "I told her that I didn't think that my girlfriend would really like it too much."  
  
"Well," Carol said with a sniff, "I hope that got through to her."  
  
"Yep," Ed said, then grinned mischievously. "Although she was kind of cute..."  
  
Carol, who had just been finishing a drumstick, shook it at him and said, "Watch yourself, mister!"  
  
Ed grinned and, after a moment, Carol grinned back.  
  
"You know," Carol said as she looked at Ed, "I never did properly thank you for helping me save Mrs. Gennacarro's job."  
  
"It was my pleasure," Ed said.  
  
"Yes, it will be," Carol said thoughtfully.  
  
"What?" Ed asked.  
  
"Well," Carol said sexily, "I know just how to thank you properly, so I was thinking that tonight ..." she leaned in suggestively.  
  
"Tonight...?" Ed replied.  
  
Carol whispered, ".... We could see each others 'skivvies'" then kissed Ed sweetly. Ed just accepted the kiss - and the promise it entailed - with contentment.  
  
After a few minutes of kissing, Ed and Carol broke away, reluctantly, as a family walked by. The mother and father, in their mid thirties, just smiled at Carol and Ed while the kids made little gagging faces at their kissing. Ed and Carol laughed and made faces back at them.  
  
When Carol turned back to Ed, she found him looking at her intently with a serious look on his face.  
  
"Ed? Is something wrong," she asked.  
  
Ed stood up and held his hand out for her as he said, "No. I just want to talk to you ... to ask you something."  
  
Something in the way Ed spoke sent icicles running down Carol's spine. She took his hand and let him help her to a standing position. She said, "About... about what?"  
  
Ed walked over to the side of the pond. He bent down and picked up a couple of pebbles. He drew a deep breath, looked away at the pond, and then released the breath after a few seconds. He turned back to her.  
  
"The first time I ever laid eyes on you was in ninth grade," Ed said quietly. "Mr. Roarke's biology class. I looked across the room and you were pouring water into a test tube."  
  
Ed threw a pebble into the water. Carol smiled slightly but stared at Ed intently.  
  
"You were wearing a blue shirt with white criss-cross strings right down the sides," Ed said, using his hands to indicate where the strings were.  
  
Carol closed her eyes, smiled, and gave a small laugh. 'Oh my God! I remember that shirt. I can't believe that Ed does, too?!'  
  
Ed threw another pebble into the water. "And the moment I saw you." Ed trailed off.  
  
Carol looked up into Ed's eyes.  
  
Ed continued, "I just went." and then gasped.  
  
Carol looked down again, slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Carol," Ed said, "I fell in love with that girl in the blue shirt with the white criss-cross strings down the sides in high school."  
  
Carol stared intently into his blue eyes.  
  
"And," Ed continued, "I fell in love with you all over again when you walked into my office in New York a few months ago. I fall in love with you every time I see you after we're separated."  
  
Carol's smile widened slightly. She didn't know where he was going with this, but he was turning her into a puddle with the whole thing.  
  
Ed walked closer to her, standing about two feet away.  
  
"Carol, I love you! I love every part of you. And we have to be together!"  
  
Carol nodded and thought, 'This is EXACTLY how I feel, Ed! But why the big production about it?'  
  
Ed reached into his pocket and dropped onto his right knee. As he held out the ring to Carol he said, "Carol Phyllis Vessey, will you marry me?"  
  
Carol was shocked for a moment, but only a moment. She said clearly, "Yes!" then leapt forward to kiss Ed. However, neither of them was balanced very well - Ed on one knee, Carol leaning forward to kiss Ed - and they tipped over onto the ground.  
  
Neither cared. 


End file.
